Awakening the Symbol
by Loki Zentra
Summary: Annie is just a normal, life force-sucking mutant trying to survive high school. When a freak attack makes Nick Fury take notice, she'll need her best friends, Deadpool and Jean, to help her make it through- and just survive. M for language, sexual jokes
1. Not Meant To Be A Victim

He sat in front of me with a smile on his face. I was trying really hard not to stare at his eye patch. Even with my lack of tact, I knew that would be more than rude to this guy. Nick Fury was just an imposing guy, not and just because he was built like a brick wall. He just wasn't the guy you wanted to piss of. He oozed with hostility.

"You're recovering well." He nodded towards my arm that lay limply in a sling.

"I just woke up, Fury." He knew damn well that I had been in a coma for the past three weeks from massive loss of blood. Hell, he was running beside Wolverine as he carried me to the Professor's medical center in the mansion. I guess that was one part of the mission that he had not anticipated. No one ever expects a 17 to try and die on you. "I guess I owe you a 'thank you.' You helped my father save me."

"It was my pleasure to help an old friend. Though, I really can't say that he was the only reason I agreed to lend time, men, and resources into finding you."

"Well, no surprise there." I frowned. Never expect the government to help you outta pure kindness. There is always something in it for them.

"We have been keeping an eye on you two for years now, especially after he adopted you. Adopting a kid was never Wolverine's style. We wondered what his motives could be."

"I guess I pulled on his heart-strings a bit. He says I remind him of his real kid, only I don't actively try to kill him every other day." I gave a little smirk.

"Indeed. Do you know why you were taken? What did they want with you?"

"Yeah, I wondered that myself."

_Cold steel. That's the sensation I woke up to. I was bound to a wall by steel bracers. I was naked except for a bra and panties. It was fucking cold. There was a throbbing in my head. I winced. I tugged at my restraints; no use. They wouldn't budge. I tried not to panic, but I could feel my heart quickening. I didn't like this._

_ "Look who's awake." The German accent hit my ears like a slap to the face. It was harsh and measured. I looked in front of me to see a man in a green uniform staring at me. Green uniform? Who the hell was this guy; General Fashion Disaster? I tried to say something, my voice wouldn't come out. I had this metallic copper taste in my mouth; it made me feel sick. "Chloroform always leaves a bad taste in the mouth, does it not?" He chuckled, and raised a glass of water to my lips. I stared at him. "If I wanted you dead, Ms. Howlett, I wouldn't use poison, and I could have done it while you were unconscious." _

_ I took a small and coughed. "You sure move fast. Most guys buy me dinner before tying me up."_

_ "Such harsh language from such a pretty girl. This is not fitting." He tsked at me and wagged his finger. "We should always use a civil tongue, don't you think?"_

_ "I am not about to use a "civil tongue" with a man who has kidnapped me." I snarled._

_ "I have some questions for you, Ms. Howlett," he carried on as if I had said nothing, "and you must answer them truthfully."_

_ "And just why would I do that?" I spat. _

_ "Do you feel the helmet on your head?"_

_ "Not until now, no." I narrowed my eyes as I realized the weight on my head._

_ "It will protect your brain, so that you will still be of use to us."_

_ "Us?" _

_ "We need to know what you know. I will ask you a question and you will give me the truth. If you do not, I will press this button," he held up a remote control with a large red button, how cliché, "and your body will absorbed a shock of electricity. It will start at a small amount, and increase with every time I push the button. Do you understand?"_

_ "How will you know if I lie?"_

_ "I am very good at knowing when a person is lying to me, Ms. Howlett. I would hope that you would not lie to us, though."_

_ "There you go with that 'us' again. Wanna tell me who the hell you people are?" _

_ "We have already discussed using a civil tongue, Ms. Howlett."_

_ "Fuck you." I growled. He sighed and pushed the button. I screamed. _

_ The pain was unimaginable. I was suddenly aware of every single part of my body, and they were all on fire! My joints sizzled, my fingers burned; it hurt more than anything I had ever experience. Then, it stopped, as suddenly as it had begun._

_ "Are you ready to cooperate now?" He smirked at me. I remained silent, he continued talking. "We have been watching you for some time now."_

_ "Stalker kidnaps girl; how cliché." I spat dryly. He ignored me._

_ "Do you recall a mission where you, Wolverine, Shadow Cat, and Nightcrawler were assigned to blow up a certain machine?" I started at him with wide eyes. He smirked. "I'll take that as a 'yes.' I'll also assume that you knew that the machine was a copy of the one used to create the 'super soldier.' It turned Steve Rogers into Captain America. It was titled 'Rebirth.'"_

_ "We destroyed it." I said, not sure where he was going with this._

_ "Did you know that your government made a third machine?"_

_ "My government?" Oh boy, he was up to something that involved shit way over my head. _

_ "What do you know about this operation?"_

_ "Fuck you." He hit the button. I screamed._

_ "What do you know about this operation?"_

_ I laughed at him. "That tickled. Surely that ain't the best you got." He narrowed his eyes and hit the button again. It hurt worse now. "I've had love bites harder than that, doll." Again. _

_ "I don't wish to hurt you, Ms. Howlett."_

_ "Hurt? You think this hurts?" I laughed in ragged breaths. "It's just like getting a tattoo. No biggie, baby." He hit it again. "Oh, it hurts so good!" Again. "Oh, you're getting me all excited!" Again. I couldn't help but scream every time. I let my body slump when it finally stopped. He walked up to me._

_ "Are you ready to cooperate?" He lifted my head up by the chin. I spit in his face._

_ "Now look what ya did, you made me squirt. I swear that never happens." _

_He backhanded me._

_ "You will give me the information I need."_

_ "What makes you think I know what the hell you are talking about?"_

_ "Don't play dumb with me." _

_ "Who says I'm playing? Maybe I really am just a stupid little girl."_

"Siobhan? Did you hear me?"

"Anna."

"What?" Nick fury raised an eyebrow.

"Call me Anna, please." I hated my first name. I tried to shake the memory of the Aryan out of my head. That was my little name for my kidnapped. He looked like a Nazi posterboy. Perfect Aryan specimen.

"What did they want from you, Anna?" He asked softer this time, sensing my distress,

"Rebirth." I locked eyes with him. He was going to give me answers. "He thought I knew something about Rebirth. I wonder why that is."

"Anna…"

"Fury, you know something, and it damned near got me killed. I think I deserve an explanation."

He sighed. "As I've said, we've been keeping an eye on you and Wolverine. We had…prospects for you."

"Prospects?" I growled.

"I am building a team."

"Oh boy, this I gotta hear."

"Ever heard of The Hulk? Iron Man? Black Widow?"

"Of course." I laughed. It was impossible not to know who they were.

"I am trying to assemble them."

"Why."

"To save the Earth from a threat."

"What threat?

"Let me finish." He took a deep breath. "We want you on this team."

"Me?" I broke out in a fit of incredulous laughter. "What the hell, man? I'm only 17!" I burst between laughs.

"Drafting age. Reject me, and I'll get you anyway."

"Is that a threat?"

"No, just trying to stress how badly I want you to join us."

"Why on Earth would you want me?"

"You're smart, genius grade. You're strong, capable, according to Xavier, a great team leader."

"If you want leadership, talk to Cyclops. I'm better at doing what I'm told."

"There's that, too. You follow orders, but at your discretion. That is an admirable quality."

"An admirable quality that gets me in deep shit from time to time." I scoffed.

"I need a soldier just like you; hell, I need you, Anne."

"And if I say no, you draft me. Doesn't seem like you're giving me much choice here, bub."

"I'd much rather you just accept my offer, but I am not above drastic measures."

"Tell me what I want to know first."

"What is that?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Who the hell abducted me?"

"Kristoff Heinz." He dug a photo out of his manila folder and slid it towards me. It was the Aryan, alright. "He was wanted for kidnapping, arson, murder, conspiracy for murder, espionage, treason, and terrorism. He was a known agent of Hydra.

"Hydra, now that sounds familiar." I leaned back in my chair, getting ready for the big spill I wanted.

"Surely Wolverine has told you stories."

"A few. Fill in the blanks for me."

"Hydra started out as a sect of the Nazi's."

"I know that part. Get to where it involves me." He was avoiding the question.

"They don't want Captain America awakened."

"What?" I blinked in confusion.

"We sound him, Anna."

"He disappeared after his plane crashed in 1943."

"He was in the arctic. We have him. We're trying to wake him up. That's actually where you come in."

"You're gonna have to simplify this a little more for me, Fury. What exactly do you want me to do?"

"We've been trying to wake him up for some time now. We want you to pick up on Dr. Carson's work and finish it."

"Won't this Carson guy feel kinda put off?"

"He's dead."

"Old guy?" I asked hopefully, though I knew that wasn't the case.

"He was gunned down."

I started at him. He sighed.

"He was getting close, so close. Hydra found out and killed him."

"So now that your scientist is dead, you need me to finish his job, probably getting myself killed in the process."

"No, this is part of the reason why we picked you, Anna. You are smart, no doubt, but you are also a trained soldier. You can hold your own."

"So I'm harder to kill, doesn't mean it can't happen, bub."

"You are our best bet."

I chewed on my bottom lip. I needed time to mull all of this over in my head, but I had a feeling Fury wasn't gonna give me time to think. I was pretty sure he'd want an answer right away, and he was intent on getting his way.

"So, how much does this gig pay?" I sighed, giving in. He smiled at me.

"Quite a bit actually. Starts with an advance."

"Advance?" I raised an eyebrow, suddenly very interested.


	2. Deadpool: Merc With A Best Friend?

Wade Wilson was a son of a bitch. He was rude, annoying, sex-obsessed, and my best friend. Logan had told me time and time again that I was just a female version of Deadpool. I took it as a compliment, even though it was obviously meant as an insult. He was the only person I ever really felt close to, except for the X-Men, and even then, Wade knew me better. Most of the time, we were inseparable. He took me with him as back up on his missions sometimes; I loved it! He seemed to know what was going on my mind at any given time. This time was no exception.

"You look like you wanna do somethin', but you don't wanna admit it." He was lying on my bed, flipping through a Guns & Ammo magazine I had bought last night.

"Sorta." I flopped down in my spiny chair in front of my computer. "Nick Fury."

"You wanna do Nick Fury?" He laughed like a hyena.

"No!" I threw a pen at his head.

"Ow."

"He was here."

"I knew I smelled a rat." He chuckled, and put the magazine down. "What did he want? Needed to talk with Wolvie, I assume."

"Nope. Wanted to talk to me, actually."

"Hooker say what?"

"You heard me."

"Why on Earth does he want you? Is he just slowly going through all of Wolvie's friends and family? Oh boy, he'll come after me next."

"I don't think we have to worry about that, Wade." I laughed. "Recognize this guy?" I pulled up a pic of Steve Rogers on my computer.

"Oh, hell."

"Yeah. Eye patch wants me to wake him up."

"How?"

"Science."

"Sayin' 'science' to a military man is like sayin' 'God' to an agnostic."

"That's not a very good comparison, Deddy."

"Yeah, well, it's the best I got for now." He grumbled, and folded his arms over his chest to pout.

"Anywho, Fury wants me to wake him up so he can start this uber-elite crime fighting team."

"And since when do you care about fighting crime?"

"I don't. I care about gettin' paid."

"That's my girl."

"Well, that and I would love to see the inner workings on SHIELD. I could use the knowledge of a few secrets."

"Wait…how would you figure out any secrets? I doubt they'd let you know much; you'll just be working in a lab."

"Yeah, well, that's the kicker. He wants me to join his crime fighting family."

"Just say no." He shrugged.

"He threatened to draft me."

"Bastard."

"You'd do the same in his position."

"Probably. It does sound like somethin' I'd pull. Why on Earth would he go to you, though? He must have hundreds of brilliant scientists at his disposal."

"From what I can gather, they've been keeping an eye on Logan, and when they saw he had adopted me all those years ago, it sent alarms off, and they decided to watch me, too. Guess they like my style, or somethin'."

"It sounds too easy. Five bucks says he's not tellin' you somethin'."

"Oh, of that I have no doubt. This has somethin' to do with why I was kidnapped last week."

"Really?"

"The guy that did it was an agent for Hydra." I flung the manila folder Fury had given me at him. He looked through it.

"This is him?" He held up the photo of the Aryan.

"Yep, that's the bastard."

"You killed him?"'

"With my bare hands."

"Good girl." He nodded in approval and read through the rest of the folder.

"I want to know why the hell I was kidnapped. Who knew that SHIELD was watching me? They have a mole, that's easy enough to figure out. Why else would Hydra think that I knew somethin' about Rebirth?"

"Oh! I love moles! They make these awesome squishy sounds when you stomp on their heads!" He giggled in anticipation.

"Well, we're gonna make some squishy noises, Wade. I'm gonna find out who gave the info that got me captured, and I'm gonna kill them."

"I love it when you talk dirty." He gripped me in a hug and pulled me down onto the bed with him. "Now, wanna play?"

"Nope." I laughed and hit him in the jaw.

Bayville High was one of the weirdest schools. Well, that's what the human kids think, anyway. The mutants here knew exactly what went on behind the scenes. When the humans were given crap explanations as to why weird things happened, we knew that it was some kind of attack or battle between us all.

There were two mutant groups at Bayville. One was the X-Men, of course, led by Professor Xavier. The second was the Brotherhood, led by Mystique. We were always at each other's throats. I never really understood why; I just did whatever the Prof told me to. Logan trusted him, so I did, too. The Prof said that the Brotherhood wanted a war with the Humans; I thought they were just really bad fighters who were organized by a psychotic bitch. Logan agreed with both of us.

Pietro was my least favorite of the brotherhood. The Blob, Avalanche, and Toad seemed to like me to an extent, and we got along; Pietro annoyed the fuck outta me. He was always trying to start something with Spike and Scott. It drove me batty. Then, the worst part of it was the flirting. He flirted his ass off with every girl in school, and, for some reason, that included me. You'd think he would ignore me, considering I whipped his ass on a regular basis, but, no. He's always in my face. The boy was a glutton for punishment or something.

"Annie, light of my life, where have you been all morning?" He stood by my locker with a grin. I scowled.

"I had been avoiding you. It kinda worked, I guess." I opened my locker, and tried to hit him in the face with it, but he moved just in time.

"You're always so violent, darling. That's why you're so vibrant." He winked at me. I resisted the urge to punch him in the face.

"You want somethin', Speedy?" I growled.

"Speedy? Hell, I'd take my time with you, Annie."

"Get the hell away from me, speed boy." I slammed my locker shut and walked off to my next class.

"I'll get you eventually, my pet."

"Pet?" I stopped in my tracks. I turned slowly to look at him. "Listen to me, and listen to me good, you pathetic rodent. I am no one's pet; especially not yours. If you ever call me that again, I will not hesitate to throw you threw a window."

"Baby, that sounds like fun to me."

"Come on, Annie." Scott appeared behind me and grabbed my arm warningly. "We need to get to class." He talked slowly to keep the anger from his voice. He didn't like the way Pietro talked to me, either. Scott was a firm believer in chivalry. I nodded and let him lead me down the hall to class. "What was that all about?"

"I don't know. I really don't. I've done my best to avoid him, I swear, but he keeps popping up. I'm gonna end up beating his face in, Scott."

"You better not. You'll be expelled, Annie. He's probably just goading you into using your powers or something. The Brotherhood would love for us all to go to a different school."

"I'm pretty sure that even if we all transferred, they'd follow us there. They just love to torture us." I laid my head down on my desk and took a deep breath. I needed a nap.

"Don't even think about going to sleep," Scott laughed, ever the mind reader, "we've got to pass this History exam."

"Exam?" I stared at him.

"You Forgot, didn't you?"

"In a manner…." I laughed nervously and pulled out my text book.

"Better read fast." Scott laughed.

My started ringing as soon as I stepped through the door of the mansion. I rolled my eyes at the unknown number on my caller ID. If it was a bill collector, they were gonna get an ear full.

"Hello?"

"Ms. Howlett, this is Tony Stark."

My eyes went wide. Tony Stark? The Tony Stark? Calling me? He'd been my idol for years; a technological genius, I followed all of his articles in scientific journals, and, I'm ashamed to say, all the tabloids as well. He was everything I aspired to be, excluding the whole playboy thing.

"Hello?"

"Yes, I'm here. I'm just debating on the likelihood that this is a prank, which is fairly high." I replied dryly, trying to cover my thoughts and shock.

"This is no prank, Analya. I work with Fury."

"I see." I frowned, sensing that I might not like this conversation. Logan walked up behind me and raised his eyebrows, I just shook my head.

"I've been assigned to help you with your…research." He said delicately.

"No offense, but how could you help? Fury led me to believe that this is pure chemistry work, and you're an engineer."

"Have you not looked through the documents he sent you? They should have arrived at your house today.'

"I just got home, I haven't had a chance to even get to my room to put my bag away." I rolled my eyes, silently thanking God that he couldn't see it over the phone.

"Well, the documents have all of the previous chemist's work. It included schematics to a machine of some kind. We weren't sure, so I was assigned to help if you need me." He chuckled.

"Well, I'll have a look at it as soon as I can." I replied awkwardly, not really sure what else to say.

"When you've finished looking over it, I'd like to arrange a meeting to discuss what I may need to do."

"A meeting?" I could feel my face burning red. Logan laughed silently; I hit him in the arm.

"Yes. I hate phone calls. Besides, from what I hear, you're quite the beauty; I would like to see you for myself."

"You realize I'm 17, right?"

"Legal age." I could hear him smirk over the phone. It made me blush harder.

"I'll let you know when I've looked through it all."

"Good. I'm glad we finally got to talk, Analya."

"Anna."

"What?"

"Call me Anna."

"Ah, Fury told me you didn't like being called Shiobhan, I just assumed it was your full middle name."

"An understandable assumption. Just Anna, please."

"Very well. Until our meeting, Anna." He hung up.

I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding. I was just on the phone with Tony Stark. Tony Stark just flirted with me. Holy shit.

"Who the hell was that? I need to send them a medal for making you blush like that! You looked like a tomato." Logan chuckled.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"Tony Stark."

"You're right, I don't believe you."

"Where's Wade?" I asked.

"I think he'd be hurt knowing that you blushed for another man." He smirked at me. I just stared at him, one eyebrow raised incredulously.

"I'm gonna go to my room." I shook my head and ran up the stairs.

I shut the door behind me and threw my bag in my chair. Wade was sitting on my bed. I ignored him and went to my bottom drawer. I fished out a bottle of vodka and took a huge gulp. Wade just smirked at me as he watched me flop down on the bed next to him.

"Rough day?"

"Incredible."

"That's usually a good thing, right?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"Tell me, kitten." He took the bottle from my hand and took a swig for himself.

"You'll never guess who I just got off the phone with."

"Alexander Graham Bell."

"Nope, but thanks for playing." I giggled in a fake game show host voice.

"Darn, I was so hoping to win the Jeep."

"Tony Stark."

"I don't think he'd be a prize."

"I don't think you'd want him as a prize. However, that's not what I meant. He called me."

"Well, that's a twist." He raised an eyebrow. So much eyebrow raising today. "Why did he call you? Was he trying to take out a restraining order?"

"Ok, I do NOT stalk him." I frowned at him. "I just like reading his articles."

"You have every article and press release he's ever given."

"I so do not."

"Well, you have enough."

"The man's a genius. I like to keep updated on the weapons he designs."

"And you wanna do the 'no-no cha-cha' with him."

"Why would I wanna do that with anyone but you, Wade?" I laughed.

"True, I am quite irresistible."

"Any way, he's working with Fury. He wants to have a chat with me after I've gone through all the documents Fury sent me."

"You mean that pile of ungodliness?" He pointed across the room. I slowly turned my head to look and the giant pile of boxes, folders, and loose papers. I screamed.

"Do you always bring your laptop to school with you, Annie?" Kurt asked at the lunch table the next day.

"Yep. I gotta keep Deadpool away from it. He does bad things when he has access to the internet. Besides, I have some reading I need to get done." I had scanned all of the papers from Fury's ill-catalogued library of horror onto my mac so I could read them at my leisure.

"Could you imagine what he would do, if he had Annie's computer, while we were all at school?" Kitty asked, shaking in slight terror of the thought.

"Yeah, he'd probably be watching porn or snuff films." Spike laughed.

"Or shooting them." Kurt added.

"Nah, we stopped doing that." I sighed.

"Shooting or watching?" Scott blinked in terror.

"Funny how I didn't specify, huh?" I winked at him.

"Oh, that's sick." Jean groaned.

"Only the first couple of times." I giggled.

"Come on, Annie. Stop being a pervert and eat your lunch. We're gonna be late for History." Scott slowly shook his head.

"No one said you had to wait for me, Specs."

"Fine, I'm leaving."

"You'd leave me?" I gave my best puppy dog eyes and stuck out my bottom lip to give the saddest face I knew how to give. He groaned.

"Hurry it up."

"Yay! I knew you loved me!"


	3. Tony Stark Is Such A Stalker

After my seventh period class, I bolted to my truck. I wanted to get the hell outta there. I could see Pietro walking outta his class, I hoped to god he didn't see me as I ran to the parking lot and climbed into my 1987, cherry-red pick-up truck. It really was a climb, too. I was only 5'5'', and I, being a true red neck at heart, put a lift kit to make the cab an extra foot or so off the ground. I like big truck, I cannot lie. I even gave my truck a name, Sinead. Yeah, Siobhan and Sinead; you can tell my family was Irish.

As I started her up, my phone rang. "This is my BOOMSTICK!" was screeching loudly, announcing a text message. I opened it as I backed out of the parking lot. It was from a blocked, unknown number, which made me both curious and cautious. Something told me I was not going to like what it said.

_Go to the abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. Alone._

Yeah, that wasn't ominous at all. I forwarded the message to Deadpool.

_Sounds like a trap, kitten._ He replied.

_ I know. I'm going anyway. _I shrugged my shoulders, even though I knew he couldn't see them.

_ Figures. _ I could almost hear him laughing on his end.

_If I don't text back in an hour, come get me, k?_

_God, you're such a slave driver._

I clicked off my phone and drove off.

Now, everyone in Bayville knew about the warehouse. It was mainly a place for teenagers to go and have some hanky panky time. The owners had died long ago, do I guess the banked owned it now, and really didn't give it a second thought. We kids of Bayville used it as we pleased. Well, I say 'we,' but I've never used it for such fun activities. I can't touch people, remember? However, the X-men have used it as a battlefield before. We've fought the Brotherhood here many times. It's a good place to fight; far away from prying eyes.

I pulled into the gravel drive way, expecting an ambush. What I got was something completely unexpected. Tony Stark was standing just inside the doorway. He had a smirk that I wanted to smack off, hero or no. I was…irked. Not really pissed off, but irked. That's a good word to describe it.

I jumped down from Sinead, and walked over to him slowly, my fingers itching for my gun, just in case. The last thing I need was for this to be a trick, like Mystique in disguise.

"Hello, Anna." He smiled and stuck out his hand. I shook it, with a little hesitation. "You're probably wondering if this is all a trick or not."

"I am wondering several things right now." I said evenly.

"Of course, that is only to be expected. How can I prove to you that this is really Tony Stark?" he smirked, he was enjoying this little game.

"You can't." I stared at him with a scowl.

"You don't trust me."

"You haven't given me a reason to."

"What can I do to earn your trust?"

"How about, not texting me from an unknown number and telling me to meet you at an abandoned warehouse? That kinda screams killer rapist."

"Ah, yes. I guess that was a bad idea. I have to keep the things we do here a secret, however."

"Things we do here?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, welcome to home base." He spread his arms wide as if welcoming me to the newly rebuilt _Titanic._ I just stared at him, waiting for him to explain. "Come this way." Against my better judgment, I followed him. I tried my best not to stare at his ass as he walked in front of me. Oh, God. I had a problem. I resisted the urge to hit myself in the face for being such a perv.

He stopped in front an old elevator, and motioned for me to step inside. I held my breath. I had very few fears; elevators were at the very topof that short list. I stepped in slowly, trying to keep the hysteria from showing on my face. He stepped in after me, and the elevator slowly rode down. I clenched my hands into fists, trying to keep my breathing even. I did not want to make a fool of myself in front on Tony. I would never forgive myself if he thought I was some weakling.

The elevator stopped, and the doors opened to reveal a blinding white laboratory. My jaw dropped to the ground in amazement. Tony smirked.

"Welcome to your new work station, Anna."

"You mean this is all….mine?"

"Yep. SHIELD has equipped this room with everything you could possibly need to resurrect Steve Rogers. You are to come here every day after school."

"What about weekends?" I asked.

"You get those for yourself. We can't have you running behind in school. We have to keep up the charade that you are just a normal high school girl."

"What do I tell everyone when they start asking where I go after school every day?"

"Tell them you got an afterschool job. That should be easy enough for everyone to believe. Just say you need to save up for college or something."

"It seems a little too simple. If someone pays attention, they can easily tell where I'm going."

"True, but we leave all the little details up to you. Just make sure you never arouse interest. Keep all of your usual appointments, don't fall behind in school, and tell no one what you are doing."

"Some people already know." I grabbed my phone to text an all clear to Deadpool.

"As I suspected." He raised an eyebrow. "Teenagers are not good at keeping secrets."

"The people who know weren't told by me, smartie pants. Fury told Wolverine and the Professor, and Deadpool knows because he was spying on Fury when he told me."

"Oh, so we'll blame boss-man. Sounds good to me." He shrugged his shoulders.

"I tell Deadpool everything, though, for my own protection. He always knows where I am, in case something goes sour." I stated matter-of-factly.

"Fury won't like that."

"Fury can suck my big toe. He's the one asking me fro help. He can accept a few minor stipulations."

"Deadpool is not a trustworthy person; you shouldn't be telling him anything that happens here."

"He's trustworthy to me." I folded my arms over my chest. I was not budging in this.

"Take it up with Fury; this isn't my call." He spread his arms like he was washing his hands of the matter.

"Speaking of, shouldn't HE be the one showing me all of this?" I raised an eyebrow.

"True, but I said I'd handle this one." He smiled at me. "I needed to see for myself."

"See the lab?"

"No, see if you were truly as beautiful as they all said." He winked at me. I felt like I was gonna pass out. He chuckled at my obvious shock. I quickly gathered my wits.

"You're creepy." I turned to look at my lab. It was huge. "It's a very big lab for just one person."

"You won't be alone. SHIELD is assembling you a team as we speak. We're getting the best and brightest to assume your every command." Tony explained.

"Do I get a say as to who these people are?"

"You can fire them if you wish, but SHIELD does the hiring. Why? Have someone in mind?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." I smiled evilly.

"Why do I get the feeling that Fury won't like this?"

"Because he won't." I turned to him. "I still haven't gotten through all of the research; it's going to take me some time."

"We're in no rush, according to Fury."

"You say that like you don't believe it."

"I don't. Fury can be a patient man, but his bosses are most definitely not." He frowned.

"What do you know, Stark?"

"Fury's higher-ups do not want Steve back. They think it's a waste of time and resources, not to mention money. Fury is trying to romance me to get to my Iron Man suit, but they would rather Fury take it by force; that wouldn't end well. We're trying to locate ad persuade Bruce Banner to come back to join us, but they want a world-wide man hunt and drafting, so to speak. Nick is trying to keep us all happy, that way we do our best work. If the higher-ups had their way, we'd all be miserable and stripped of our rights."

"I see. So, this needs to be done as quickly as I can pull it off, huh?"

"You certainly need to try."

"Shit."

"You can say that again."

"How soon will this team of mine be assembled?"

"A couple days, maybe a week. It's a little hard finding good scientists who will follow the orders of a 17-year-old."

"Yeah, that seems to create a problem." I sighed, knowing that no matter how smart or capable I was, I'd always be just a teenager to everyone who looked at me. "Well, when we finally get some, I'll just have to work hard at proving myself."

"I am eager to see how you do." He smiled genuinely at me. I tried not to blush.

"I'm not one to turn down a challenge. This is going to be very interesting." I looked at my watch. "I need to get back to the mansion. I gotta finish reading through all the research and then I have AP history homework."

"Busy little study bug."

"You'll be glad I'm such a study bug when I wake up Captain America."

"I think the whole nation will be."

"Ok, so let me get this straight," Deadpool said slowly, lounging on my bed, as usual, "Tony sent you a stalker text message, showed you this ultra-mega-uberly nice lab, all for the sake of pseudo-hitting on you?"

"He was not hitting on me."

"Kitten, when he says he wants to see if you're as beautiful as they say, that's classified as hitting on you." He rolled his eyes.

"Well, how was I supposed to know that?" I scoffed, staring at the notes on my computer screen.

"You don't get hit on very often, I take it."

"Deadpool, look at me." I was wearing a white wife beater, boys' camo shorts, and a pair of grey Nikes. "Does it look like guys hit on me much?"

"You're just going through a tom-boy phase."

"'I've been dressing like this since I was nine, I don't think it's a phase, Wade."

"Maybe you have latent homosexuality?" Wade smiled hopefully.

"Hell no, women are insane."

"I thought you like insane."

"Only when it's you, Wade." I chuckled.

"Yay! I'm special!" He jumped up from the bed and wrapped his arms around my neck, and rested his head on my shoulder. "How's the reading coming along?"

"Slowly, so fucking slowly. This Carson guy's handwriting was awful. I can't tell some of these letters apart." I flipped my laptop shut, and tried to spin around to grab my history book, but Wade held me in place. "Wade, I need to study."

"Let's go get some tacos."

"Huh?" I blinked at him, not sure where this had come from.

"You're uber stressed. Tacos will help you calm down." He grabbed my arm and pulled me up.

"I don't really feel like tacos, at the moment, Wade."

"Blasphemy!" He yelled. "You're always in the mood for tacos! See? This is why you need to relax. You're starting to stress, and it's only gonna get worse. Think of the tacos, Annie!" He looked like he was going to cry.

"Holy shit, Wade, fine, but I want yolandas."

"As long as it's Mexican food, Kitten." He smiled at me and kissed me on the cheek through his mask. Sometimes, Wade was a very confusing man.

I ran into our favorite Mexican joint, La Flora Bonita, and grabbed a couple to-go boxes. Wade always got the funniest looks whenever he went in to eat. Besides, we liked eating in the park better. We like to play "bang, kill, mangle" while we ate. Bang, kill, mangle was a lot like bang, marry, kill, only a lot more fun. We'd watch people walk past us and we'd say whether we would bang them, kill them, or seriously mangle them.

"Oh, definatly kill." Deadpool laughed as a blonde body builder walked past us.

"Agreed. Too many muscles, just gross." I took a bite of a yolanda and look around. "How about her?" I asked with my mouth full.

"Ooooo, I'd bang her!" I let loose a loud cat call as the shapely brunette passed us. She gave a "hmph," and fipped her hair as she walked away a little faster. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Shot down again, Deddy."

"Oh, shut up. I swear, sometimes you're worse than Al."

"How is the old bat, by the way?" I pushed my sunglasses up, they kept trying to slide down my nose.

"She's annoying, as always." He pouted like a little kid. I laughed at him and took another bite of the yolanda.

"Is she still buggin' ya about Siryn?" I asked slowly, knowing I'd be raising a delicate issue.

"Nope. The old hag has new tings to bug me about. Siryn's a thing of the past. I'm moving on to bigger and better things."

"You mean bigger and better stalking opportunities." I giggled.

"Hey! I did not stalk her!" He growled.

"Whatever you say, Deddy."

"And what if I said, 'Annie, let me kiss you till we both die!'"

"Then, I hit you in the face." I scowled. I guess I deserved that. I brought up his touchy issue, he'll bring up mine.

"Nah, you know you'd never hurt me, kitten.'

"What about the time I sliced your arm off during sparring practice?"

"That was an accident."

"Was it?" I winked at him and took a drink of my diet coke.

"God, you're such a tease.'

"To be a tease, Wade, I'd have to have the ability to give in." I sighed.

"Don't start being all depressed, now. I'm trying to cheer you up! With tacos!" He waved a taco in my face.

"I'm not being depressed, Wade." I laid back in the grass, and stared up at the sky. The clouds were so pretty today.

"Anna…"

"Wade, stop. I'm fine. Since when are you such a worry wart?" I laughed and put my arms under my head.

"Let's not get all emotional, now."

"Who's getting emotional?" I raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Nevermind."

"Wade, you confuse me.'

"I confuse everyone."

"Hey, wanna go throw soap at hobos?"

"Hells yeah!"


	4. Flowers and Stipulations

"Annie!" Jean yelled from downstairs.

"Yes?" I yelled back, not venturing out of room to where she was, just in case I was in deep shit…again.

"Get down here, _now._" Yeah, she sounded ticked off. I wondered what I did this time.

"What's up, red?" I asked as I slid down the banister into the main foyer of the mansion.

"What have you done?"

"You tell me." I really was completely ignorant as to why she was mad at me.

"Do you have a boyfriend you neglected to tell us about?" She put her hand on her hip and gave me a sour look.

"Not the last time I checked, but I can always go look on Facebook. Facebook knows stuff about me before I do!"

"Do you want to tell me who sent you these _adorable _flowers?" She smirked at me, and motioned to a large vase of red roses on the small center table of the foyer.

"You made me think I was in trouble! You're so—wait. What? Flowers? Who the hell would send me flowers?"

"Why don't you read the card and find out?" Jean giggled.

"One day, red, I'm gonna hit you in the face."

"Sure you are, Annie." She smiled at me. "Anyway, they're probably from Deadpool. He's been pretty snuggly with you lately."

"Ha! Wade? Snuggly? You need a CAT scan, doll." I lowered my head to sniff the roses. They smelled sweet. _Besides, if Wade had sent me flowers, they would be lilies; my favorites. _

"Well? Read the card!" Jean urged.

"I think you want to know who they're from more than I do." I laughed at her. "Maybe I won't read the card, and just throw them all away."

"Annie!" She pouted. "Don't you want to know who's being sweet on you?"

"Not as much as you do, apparently."

"Come on, Annie!"

"Fine." I opened the card and read, not believing a word of it. "To the resident genius beauty; Congratulations on having your dreams come true."

"Oooooo, 'resident genius beauty', huh? The guy knows how to hit a sweet spot." She winked at me. "Who's it from?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." I shook my head and put the card in my pocket.

"Annie! You have to tell me!"

"No, I don't actually." I said, trying to hide the blush on my face. "I'm going to my room." I picked up the vase of roses and went straight upstairs. I slammed the door shut and put the vase down on my desk. I stared at it.

"What the hell is he thinking?" I breathed.

On one hand, he was extremely dreamy and completely desirable. On the other, he was arrogant, self-centered, and a huge play boy. He'd probably throw me away like a wadded up tissue when he got what he wanted. But, even still, he was perfect. He was smart, sophisticated, handsome, and strong. He'd been my crush ever since I read that first article in _Modern Science_. I looked back at the note.

_To the resident genius beauty; Congratulations on having your dreams come true. –Tony Stark_

I needed a drink. A big one. Good thing Wade left me a stash in the chest in front of my bed.

The next morning, it was off to school. Jean was still a little irked that I wouldn't tell her who the card was from. She rode to school with Scott, as usual, along with Kitty and Rogue. Spike and Kurt rode with me in Sinead. I went through everyone's schedules in my head. Jean had soccer practice until 4, Scott would stay and watch her, Spike would probably cut out early again to go skating, Rogue would hang with Risty, and Kurt would go straight back to the mansion to help forge with his new ideas for teleportation travel enhancers. So, everyone but Kurt would have their own way home. All I needed to do to be able to sneak off to the lab was drop Kurt off at the mansion and use the excuse of job hunting. Easier said than done.

"Annie, you ok?" Kurt asked from beside me.

"Yeah, you seemed zoned out. Earth to Annie!" Spike laughed.

"I'm fine guys, just a little lost in thought." I smiled and tried to focus on driving.

"Annie lost in thought, well there's a first." Spike said sarcastically.

"Oh, shush. I'm trying to remember if I left that bomb in you room. It was supposed to go off at 3:00."

"What the heck?" Spike cried.

"Why were you in his room, Annie?'

"I don't really care why right now, Kurt! Annie, tell me you did not leave a bomb in my room."

"Ok, ok. I did not leave a bomb in you room, Spike." I laughed.

"Thank God.'

"But Deadpool did."

"What?"

The day drug by slowly. Like, painfully slow. I felt the need to shoot myself in the head, but I knew it wouldn't grow back. Damn it, why did Wade get the cool powers?

Lunch time was the only point of my day that had anything interesting happen. I was in the middle of trying to challenge the Blob to a chimichanga eating contest, when Principal Kelly came over the loud speaker.

"Next Saturday there will be a talent contest in the auditorium at 7:00. If anyone is interested in being in the contest, please sign up in the councilor's office."

"Wow, a talent contest? How lame." Rogue blew a strand of her hair out of her face and took a bite of her fish sandwich.

"I think it sounds fun!" Kitty exclaimed.

"Of course you would." Rogue growled under her breath.

"You only don't like the idea because you have no talent!" Kitty snorted.

"Oh puh-lease. I could win that contest with no problem, I just have no desire to embarrass myself in front of every idiot in this school.

"Whatever." Kitty rolled her eyes.

"Will you two stop bickering? God, you sound like an old married couple." I whined as I sat back down beside Kurt.

"Come on, Annie. You've got to admit this is utter bull." Rogue laughed.

"Actually, I'm thinking of signing up."

"Say what? You can't be serious!" Kurt laughed.

"I am."

"What talent have you got? I mean, you can't show them how well you can shoot a man, or how you can steal people's life forces just by touching them."

"That's not nice, Kurt. Annie has lots of talents." Jean scolded.

"Yeah, she can build a nuclear bomb from household items." Scott laughed.

"That actually does sound fun." I said thoughtfully.

"No, Anna." Scott said sternly.

"Darn." I giggled.

"But, seriously, what are you going to do?" Kitty asked.

"I have something in mind, don't worry."

"You're not going to tell us, are you?" Kurt whined.

"Annie does love to keep her secrets." Jean snorted.

"What do you mean, Jean?" Scott asked, a little confused.

"Did you know she got flowers last night?"

"Jean, don't." I warned.

"Oooo, Annie's got a boyfriend! Who's the unlucky guy?" Kurt laughed.

"Shove it, Kurt." I growled.

"She won't tell me who they were from." Jean pouted.

"It's not important, Jean."

"I'll bet it was Pietro." Spike laughed.

"I'll kill you with your own skateboard, Spikey." I growled, gripping my fork in my hand, ready to plunge it in his throat.

"Calm down, Annie." Scott grabbed my hand. "She doesn't have to tell us anything, Jean."

"But-"

"Leave her be. She'll tell us when she's ready."

"Stop talking about me as if I'm not here." I snapped.

"Oh, Annie, you're still here."

"I'm going to kill you. With a spoon."

After school, I ran out to my truck, Kurt following from behind.

"What's the rush?"

"I wanna get the hell outta here!" I looked around, hoping Pietro hadn't seen me. I hadn't had to deal with him all day; I didn't want to ruin my good day now. I jumped in the truck, and smirked to myself as I typed out a text message for Tony. I did a little digging, and borrowed some of the Prof's computers, to figure out Tony's phone number by the unknown text he had sent me. I hoped I got the shocked reaction I wanted when he saw that I had figured it out.

"Wanna help me study for my math test tomorrow?" Kurt asked as we backed out of the parking lot and onto the road.

"I can't. I'm going into to town to go job hunting."

"Job hunting?" he asked, confused.

"Yeah, I need to start saving up for college. Stanford is not gonna be cheap, bub."

"But, you're so smart! You'll get a full ride scholarship, no doubt!"

"I need the security, just in case I don't. Besides, I'm 17. I should have a job, anyway."

"I guess I can understand that." He thought for a second. "Hey! Now you can buy me a new video game!"

"We'll see." I laughed.

I dropped Kurt off in front of the mansion, and then headed back out. I made my way toward the old warehouse, hoping no one who saw me recognized me. My phone buzzed with a text message, I laughed when I saw it was from Tony.

_I should've known you would figure out my number. Did you like your flowers?_

I sent back a quick text, then pulled into the drive way, and parked. This time, waiting by the door for me was Fury. He had a big smile on his face, and that scared me. I finished the text and got out of Sinead. _It was odd. You're very creepy, you know that?_

"Ready to get to work?" Fury asked.

"As I'll ever be." I sighed. "Let's get this over with."

"Good. We've assembled you a team, as I'm sure Tony informed you."

"Yeah. Why did you let him show me around, anyway? That kinda seemed like croaching in on your territory."

"He wanted to meet you. He's obsessed with the thought of someone one so young being so smart."

"He was younger than me when he started making weapons."

" I never claimed to be able to understand the guy." He threw his hand up in surrender.

"Anyway, who all is on this team, Fury? I need to know if I can trust any of them."

"You'll recognize one of them.'

"Who?"

"Killbrew."

"Hell now. I refuse. No fucking way."

"I thought you might say that."

"I'll kill that mother fucker."

"Language, Anna."

"SHIELD has sure sunk low if you're letting scum like Killbrew in."

"He's a brilliant geneticist. He'll come in handy when it comes to the Captain's unique and altered genes."

"You know what he's done, Fury. You know the horrible things he did in Weapon X."

"Yes, but he is trying to redeem himself."

"He's lying."

"Truthfully, I don't care if he is or not, as long as he helps us wake Rogers."

"Do you care what happens to him after we wake him up?" I asked, a twinkle in my eye.

"I don't wanna hear it, Anna. I don't want any part in you revenge, or whatever the hell it is." He scowled and walked to the elevator, I followed, waiting for him to reveal the rest of my team. We went down and sat in chairs in the lab. "There are six candidates, including Killbrew. They are all expendable, except for him; we need his knowledge.

"I don't really like the idea of you calling us scientists 'expendable.'"

"That's not what I meant. I meant that they can be fired and replaced according to your ability to work with them and their attitudes."

"Attitudes. You mean how well they play with me, the 17-year-old boss."

"Pretty much." He smiled at me; it scared me.

"I need someone on this team that I can trust, especially if Killbrew is here. I want one of my own."

"That will be hard to convince the higher-ups of."

"First off, Deadpool will know everything. I trust him, and, frankly, I don't trust you. He will know where I am at all times. If Carson was killed, I'll need a bodyguard anyway; even with my fighting abilities, I can't fend off them all if they're bent on killing me."

"I don't want Deadpool knowing any of this, but I guess there's no way to stop you, if you're set on it."

"I am. Not dying is always a good thing in my book."

"And the team member?"

"Jean Grey."

"You're kidding me."

"Nope. A telekinetic could come in handy when it comes to building this machine of Tony's. Plus, she's great at reading people, and I'm not talking about their minds. She can tell me who's trustworthy and who's plotting to kill me."

"At first I thought you sounded just like Wolverine. Now you sound like Deadpool."

"I change my personality daily, bub."

"There's Wolverine, again."

"Don't make me shank you in the face, patchy."

"There's Deadpool."

"You got a point here?" I scowled at him, trying to resist the suddenly strong urge to kill him and stuff hid body for my mantle.

"Not really. You'll just be hard to anticipate is all."

"You seriously think you know what I'll do in certain situations? You got no clue, bub."

"I know you'll always end up doing the right thing."

"Only if it pays enough."

"God, help me." He sighed and handed me six manila folders. "These are the dossiers on all of the scientists. Go through them tonight. I want you to know everything about them by Monday. It's Friday, so of course you'll be free for the weekend.

"Grand. A weekend full of reading and memorizing." I put the folders in my bag that hung on my shoulder. "Anything else I should know about?"

"Your first pay check has been direct deposited to your bank account."

"Finallly! Some good news!"


	5. Great Start to the Weekend

"No way!" Jean stared at me in shock.

"Yes way! It's true, I swear!" I smirked at her, letting everything settle in her mind. I had just filled her in on everything that had happened to me in the past few weeks, including all of the not-so-terrifying details of my kidnapping.

"Nick Fury, huh? This is big, Annie." She shook her head in disbelief.

"I haven't even gotten to the fun part yet, red."

"I'm not going to like this, am I?"

"You might, actually." I smiled broadly. "He's giving my own team of scientists to help me wake Steve up. I don't trust most of them." My eyebrow twitched at the thought of the information I found in the dossiers. These guys were your run-of-the-mill geniuses who would do anything for money. They would've fit in perfectly in Weapon X.

"You've got a point, I know it."

"I trust you, Jean."

"Oh, god."

I got down on one knee and grasped her hand. "Jean, will you do me the honor of helping me reestablish this man's genes to help him survive being unceremoniously cryogenically frozen?"

"OMGoodness! This is so awesome!" She ran over to her computer and pulled up a calendar. "Soccer's over, so my schedule is free except for classes. I could totally do this!"

"And think of all the connections you could make by doing this. You could get all kinds of awesome science-y military jobs after this." I patter her on the back.

"But why did you want me?"

"Cuz, like I said, I trust you. I know you're smart. You can help me."

"But you're better at science than I am. I'm more into psychology."

"That's the main reason I want you. You know more about people than I do. I hate people; I am _so_ not sociable. You can tell what people are thinking and judge their character better than I can." I leaned against the wall with my arms crossed over my chest.

"Yeah, you're not very good at being a people person." She flipped her hair back out of her face and laughed.

"So, you'll do it?" My eyes lit up like Christmas lights on fire.

"Yes! This will be so exciting!" She reached up for a hug, I bolted away.

"Woah, there, Nellie. Let's keep this platonic."

"Annie, you're so mean." We both broke out in laughter.

Now that _that_ bit of awkward story telling was over, I had to go see Wade. I ran up to my room, hoping to see him lounging on my bed. My hopes were shot when I came in and my bed was devoid of human life. I went over to my desk and pulled out the teleporter Weasel had made for me. Weasel was Wade's faithful geek. He was a genius, but he stayed true to Wade's love of money morality. He didn't kill anyone, but he didn't help if the money wasn't right, either. He was hella funny, though, and great at a game of pool.

I pushed in the coordinates of Wade's house in San Francisco, and reminded myself not to puke as I pushed the button.

"Don't you dare puke." An old woman sitting in a chair yelled at me. "Deadpool said you might be over today. I heard you 'port in. I swear, if you puke on my rug I'll feed you to the dog."

"How would you know if I puked, Al? You wouldn't be able to see it." I gasped, trying to reign in my stomach. Teleportation was hell on the insides.

"I'd step in it."

"That'd be funny." I giggled.

"Ya know what else is funny? My shoes up your—"

"Language, Al!" I shook my finger at her, then laughed, remembering the blind bat couldn't see it. "Where's Wade?"

"In his room, I guess. I haven't heard from him all day."

"Doesn't that strike you as odd? You can _always_ hear Wade."

"Well, now that ya mention it…"

"I'ma go check on him…" I walked upstairs and knocked on the attic door. "Singing sexy gram!"

"Oooo is the blonde I ordered?" I heard him yell back. I scowled. He opened the door to my fist in his face. "Nope, just an angry redhead. I get a lot of those these days."

"Wade, pumpkin, we need to talk."

"Oh, God! You're going to break up with me!" he sniffled.

"We're not dating, Wade."

"Oh, right." He laughed and sat down in a chair. "'Sup, kitten?"

"I've got some news that you might wanna hear."

"Oooo, I do love the gossip." He giggled in anticipation.

"First, promise me you won't overreact."

"Scouts honor."

"I know where Killbrew is."

I visibly saw his face darken; he wasn't wearing his mask. He clenched his hands into fists and stood up.

"Wade, you promised."

"Where is he, Analya?" He asked evenly. He always scared me when he used my name.

"Under SHIELD protection."

"He's working with you?" He snapped, incredulously.

"Yes." I sighed. "I've been forbidden to kill him, though I defiantly tried." I grabbed his wrists, trying to make him relax. "After we've awakened Steve, he's all yours, pumpkin. I've got his address and everything."

He stared at me. "You got the info for me?"

"Sorta. I was gonna kill him myself, but I figured you'd want to."

"You're too good to me, kitten." He smiled manically and sat back down. I let out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding.

"Now, I have more news.'

"I don't think I can handle anymore."

"This one's not quite as shocking, I promise." I giggled. "As we know, Carson was killed by Hydra when he got too close. Ten bucks says I'm next. SHIELD has agreed that I need a bodyguard."

He growled. "I'm capable of watching over you myself; I don't need no SHIELD flunky gettin' in my way."

"That's why I said I was going to use you.' I smiled innocently. "I trust you more than any of them."

"This is why I love you."

"And here I thought it was because I bought you tacos."

"Well, that, too." He smiled and leaned in to kiss me, I pulled back.

"Wade, you know I can't touch you." I whispered.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." He pulled on his mask, and kissed my cheek.

"Take it off, Wade. I hate that mask on you."

"Ya know, most chicks don't wanna see the damaged goods."

"Damaged? I only see sexy."

"Now _I'm_ gonna puke!" Al yelled from downstairs.

Logan and I had a Saturday ritual; we'd always jump on his bike and take a relaxing ride through the scenic route. What Logan didn't know, is that I got him a present. With part of the _enormous _check SHIELD gave me, I bought him a new denim jacket. I had patches sewn into it; there was a skeleton hand giving the finger, the acronym _DILLIGAF_, and a Canadian flag. I was hoping he liked it…he was so hard to shop for.

"I packed us a couple ham sandwiches and a large bag of Doritos for lunch." Logan said as he picked up his helmet.

"Sweet. I love Doritos." I smiled, and watched him put on his leather jacket. "Isn't your jacket kinda hot? It's a warm day out, especially for March."

"It's the only jacet I have, and a helluvah lot safer than going without one."

"You sure you don't have another one?" I asked, trying to keep from smiling.

"I think I know my own wardrobe." He growled.

"Check your saddle bags."

"Why? There's nothing in there, Annie."

"Just check, ok?" I rolled my eyes and buttoned up my grey denim jacket. He sighed, and lokoed, obviously trying to humor me.

"Annie…where did this come from?"

"Call it a belated Christmas present." I smiled and watched him put it on. It fit him perfectly.

"This is…nice."

"The only reason I'm not taking offense right now is because I know you don't know how to accept a gift." I smiled, and handed him his helmet. "Let's just skip the awkward step and get to our ride, ok?"

"You know me so well, kid."

"I'm your daughter, it's my job."

He climbed on the bike, and I shimmied on behind him. I wrapped my arms around his waist, and took a deep breath. I always felt a little nervous when he started up the bike. Pulling out of the driveway was the worst part; I hated having to lean with the bike as he turned. He took off, and I stared at the upcoming turn. I closed my eyes as he began to lean; I leaned with him. I tried to keep my breathing regular and slow as my body came closer to the pavement. Logan could feel my body tense; he always did, but never commented. He knew I felt weak at being so afraid.

As the bike straightened up, my eyes flew open. I smiled broadly as the wind swished past my ears. There was no feeling in world quite like racing down the road on a low-rumbling Harley. The vibrations from the engine traveled up my body, making my fingers shake in my leather gloves. Little traces of hair fluttered over my face, having escaped from the ponytail under my black beanie.

The world zoomed by in a blur or color, after a while all I could see were blots of green as we went deeper into the woods. Our bodies bounced up as Logan took us off the main road and onto a dirt path. Harleys are not built for off-road ventures, but Logan was such a good rider that he made it work. He would never let his bike get hurt; much less would he ever allow me to be hurt.

Trails of dirt flew up our sides, and tried to blind me. I reached into my breast pocket and put on my Louis Vuitton sunglasses. Yeah, I was kinduva chick like that sometimes. I took a deep breath of the warm March air; the smell of pine trees was predominate, but there a lingered a stench that I quickly recognized. I moved my hand to Logan's shoulder and squeezed, hard.

He quickly stopped, the bike spinning us around in a full 360. Logan growled and sniffed air, smelling it, too, now. I slid off the bike and grabbed my sai blades out of the saddle bag on the left side. Logan pulled off his gloves and his claws sparked out. I took a steadying breath, and looked around, scanning every bit of the forest for movement.

"Come out, come out; where ever you are." I whispered.

"Ah, I see it is Wolverine and his little pet, out for a day's ride." A low, ragged voice shook from behind the trees. It sent vibrations through the ground and up my body, making me shiver.

"Sabretooth." Logan growled in anger. I widened my stance, getting ready for an attack.

"What the hell do you want, fur-boy?" I stared at him, hoping Logan would give me the all go to kill him.

He walked into view, smirking at me. "Little one, you shouldn't be so eager to attack me; not when I'm here to help."

"The only way you're gonna help me is by jumping into the pine box, and saving us the trouble." I growled.

"Tongue like razor; you've been spending too much time around her, Wolverine."

"What can I say; I'm a chip off the old block." I winked at him and shifted my eyes to Wolverine for a split second. He was staring at Sabretooth, waiting.

"What do you want, Sabretooth?" Logan boomed.

"I want to help you."

"How and why?" That's Logan, straight and to the point.

"Hydra is trying to kill your pet.'

"Tell me something I don't know.' I could feel Wolverine giving me a hard glance, but there was no time to explain now.

"I want to offer my assistance in keeping you safe, little one."

I couldn't help but laugh. "What the hell?" I asked between gasps of air.

"You heard me. I didn't stutter."

"Ok, how about why the fuck would you want to help me? You've been trying to kill us for years." I scowled at him.

"No, I've been trying to kill Wolverine. I have no grudge with you, little one."

"Oh, that makes everything better. And don't call me that."

"There is no way in hell we're gonna trust you, bub. Now get lost, or I'ma gonna claw off your face." Logan spat.

"I know who the first assassin is."

"Bullshit." Logan and I both said in unison.

"It's true. Let me help you, or she's going to die."

"Are you threatening me?" I threw one of my blades; he dodged and it sank four inches into the tree behind him. He stared at it, smirking.

"You're better at this than you look; maybe you'll actually survive."

"You have no idea."

"Let me help you."

"What's in it for you?"

"That's my business."

"No deal, furball."

"You're gonna regret that."

"What I'm regretting is killing you years ago."

"Well seem, little one." He ran off. I started to run after him, but Logan grabbed my arm.

"We need to talk."

"But he's-"

"He'll be back, and we can kill him then. Why didn't you tell me someone was trying to kill you?" he did not look happy.

"I didn't want to worry you."

"Annie, I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you."

"You knew I was working with SHIELD. You knew something like this would probably happen."

"Yeah, and I also trusted you to tell me when it did."

"I didn't want you to have anything to do with this."

"Why? You don't trust me to keep you safe anymore?" He looked like I'd smacked him across the face with a fish.

"That's not it and you know it!" I cried. "I didn't want you to be in danger, too."

"Annie, you're only 17."

"I can handle myself, dad, and I can prove it."

"You don't have to prove anything to me."

"Obviously I do, if you still want to keep me hidden under you wing. I go out with Deadpool doing God-knows-what and you don't get like this."

"I know Deadpool will keep you safe."

"Did you ever think that maybe I was the one keeping him safe?"

"Annie, I can't lose you!" He yelled.

"I'm not going anywhere, dad. I'm right here, and I can fight my own battles. It's time for you to start trusting me!"

He stared at me, not saying a word. His claws slithered back into his hands, and he mounted the bike. I pulled my blade out of the tree with a quick jerk, and put them in the saddle bags. I climbed on behind him, and we spend off. Thank God I was in the back; the wind speeding past my face swiped the tears falling down my face into the air, to disappear in the dirt.


	6. His Spoon's Been In A Couple Soup Bowls

_AN: Thank you to all of my reviews, especially knightrunner. Thank you for the encouragement! Please continue to read and review. I hope you enjoy!_

I stared at the vase on my desk. Full of yellow daisies, it was in direct contrast with the last batch of flowers he had sent me. Tony was being bolder. This time he sent a box of chocolates with the flowers; the card only gave his initial. Jean was huffing again because I still would not tell her who had sent them. I'd never hear the end of it if I told her.

I wondered for the millionth time why he was sending me flowers. Surely he wasn't really flirting; I was only 17! True, 17 was legal age, but it still seemed a lot like pedophilia to me. I got up with a sigh and changed clothes. I pulled on a camo tank top, and pair of blue jeans, and my favorite pair of Osiris's. I was about to walk downstairs when I heard a 'pop' from behind me.

"Oh, someone's looking like a sex kitten today."

"Wade, it's rude to teleport into someone's room unannounced." I laughed.

"You do it to me all the time."

"Yeah, but I'm a woman."

"So?"

"So, I'm exempt from that rule, because you _want_ me in your room." I winked at him and sat back down in my spiny chair.

"Good point." He laughed. His eyes darted over to the two vases of flowers on my desk. "Did Wolvie buy you flowers?"

"No." I winced, not really sure why him seeing them bothered me.

"I know you didn't get them for me, kitten."

"Tony sent them to me."

"Stark? Well, waddaya know." He went to sniff them but stopped short. "He really does like you, huh?"

"No, he's toying with me. I'm supposed to be the naive teenager, remember? He's just being creepy."

"But you want him to like you."

"What?" I just stared at him, waiting for him to explain himself.

"Annie, you've been obsessing over him for years. He's your idol, and suddenly he's here, paying attention to you. It's like some weird dream for you."

"Wade, I've told you-"

"You only admire him. Yeah, yeah. Stop kidding yourself, Siobhan. You want him. You're loving this attention."

His saying my first name was like music to my ears, when all others made it sound like nails on a chalkboard. I felt so ashamed. He was right. I wanted Tony to like me, but that was so sick!

"I'm too young."

"No, Siobhan, you're just not used to having what you want thrown in your face." He growled.

"You have no idea what I want, Wade." I snapped.

"Whatever." He sat down on my bed and stared out the window. "I bet he has crabs."

"Say what?" I couldn't help but laugh.

"And herpes."

"Wade, you're being rude."

"I'm just saying, do you really want a spoon that's been used _that_ much in your soup bowl?"

"That's disgusting!" I giggled and threw a pillow at him.

"Ya know what's not disgusting? Chimichangas. Let's go get some." That's Wade for ya, never on one track of mind for very long.

Wolverine was sitting in his favorite chair in the study, pretending to read a book. He knew I came in here every night to read a little before bed. He tried his best to ignore me as I picked _Pride and Prejudice_ off the shelf. I sighed heavily.

"If you've got something to say; say it."

"Annie, i…"

"I'm sorry for yelling at you." I apologized first, making it less awkward for him. "I know you worry, and I was just ticked off at Sabretooth."

"No, I'm sorry,Annie. You're not a kid anymore, I need to trust you more. You've proven your worth a million times over. I should trust you."

"You just worry, Dad. I get that. All parents do that." His arm twitched. "What did I say now?" Not knowing how I made him mad.

"Nothing. You called me dad."

"You are my dad, Logan. That's what you signed on for, literally, when you signed the adoption papers."

"I never thought I'd be good enough of a father to be worth that name."

"Logan, do you have any idea what you've done for me? You found me on the street when I was 11. You let me live with you; you didn't even know me! When child services found me, and took me away from you, you instantly went and fled for legal adoption. You gave me a home, Logan. You loved me, even when it would have been simpler for you to have left me on the damned street in New Orleans where you found me. You treated me like your child, you acted like my father. Of course I call you dad."

"I screwed up a lot."

"Everyone does." I laughed. "You're doing your best, and that what counts." I gripped his hand in mine. "You are my dad."

"I love you, Annie."

"I love you, too, dad."

I hated driving down this road. It was noisy as hell. It was gravel, and it was hell on my undercarriage. I turned up the radio and started singing along with the David Crowder Band. Ironic, right? Yeah, the insane girl listens to K-love. I had to get to the lab and talk to Fury. We were going to arranged Jean's clearance, or whatever. I didn't care for the military feel of everything, but this was worth it; waking up Captain America. I was driving a little bit faster than I should have been; when the bullets hit, the wheel jerked outta my hands.

Sinead swerved into a ditch; I pumped the brakes, trying desperately to stop. She stopped and I grabbed my .45 out of my glove box. I squished down into the floor board of the passenger side. My eyes skitted across the road through the window, trying desperately to see who had attacked me. Three more bullets fired, I screamed; I couldn't help it. I jerked open the door and fell onto the grass, crouching low to keep from view. I heard Sinead making weird noises.

"Oh, shit!" I breathed, and started running.

Two more bullets whizzed past me. Thank God, the guy was a bad shot! I stopped, letting my training kick in. I spun around and dropped to one knee, gun aimed in front of me. He was running after me, in plain sight. Stupid man. I pulled my trigger, once, twice, three time. He dropped to the ground, one bullet hitting him in the knee, exactly where I wanted it to go. Now he couldn't run away.

I tried to slow my ragged breathing. I tried to stay calm, I'd ran simulations like this hundreds of times in the danger room; I was scared shitless. I'd never faced an attack alone! I stood, gun still aimed directly at my attacker, and walked slowly towards him.

I stared into his face. He had blond hair, blue eyes, and a grimace of pain. He looked so familiar.

"You bitch!" He had a thick German accent. Three guesses who sent him.

"Start talking, mother fucker. Did Hydra send you?"

"You killed my brother, you mutant bitch!"

"You're gonna have to be more specific, I've killed a lot of people." I growled, kicking him in the stomach. He yelped in pain. I knelt down and grabbed his chin, trying to inspect hi face. "You're the Aryan's brother. You look just like the sap."

"He was the greatest man the world has ever seen."

"Funny, I thought you Germans were supposed to say 'Hitler' in that statement."

"We are so beyond the ideals of that little man. We are Hydra!"

"You are dying. Slowly." I smirked at him.

"When one dies, two spring in its stead.'

"God, can you people _be_ anymore cliché?" An explosion from behind me made me spin in shock. I stared in horror as Sinead burned in the flames. "My…my baby." I spun back to the attacker, filled with rage. "You sonuvabitch." He laughed, blood splurting from his mouth. I shot him in the face. He was dead; that didn't stop me from emptying the rest of my bullets into his carcass. Tears rolling down my face, I dialed Tony's number.

"Stark."

"Tony, it's Anna. Can you get a GPS hit on my phone? I'm gonna need a pick up." I felt a stinging pain in my leg; I looked down, and sighed deeply. "I'm losing blood…a lot of it. Looks like I got hit in a major artery.'

"Anna, what happened?" He sounded paniced.

"Just get here, Tony." I hung up and let my legs crumple underneath me. I sat there, on the ground in a gathering pool of blood, both mine and the attacker's, and stared at the sky. It looked more grey than the light blue it was ten minutes ago. My arms started tingling, I shook them, hoping they were just falling asleep. It was getting harder to breath. I let myself fall down on the grass completely; I lay helpless in the blood. It felt like hours that I laid there. I heard tires screech. I wondered halfheartedly if it were another Hydra agent, come to finish the job.

"Anna!" Tony was yelling at me, it sounded like a muffled whisper. He was over me now, lifting me in his arms; yelling my name over and over, trying to get me to respond. I didn't want to. I just wanted to sleep. I was so tired. It took every ounce of energy I had to mumble.

"328 Sycamore Drive."

Everything went black. 


	7. Solo Missions Are Hell On The Ankles

I woke with Tony staring at me. I could feel him grasping my hand through my leather gloves. He looked genuinely worried.

"Anna! You're awake." He smiled at me.

"He's got great powers of observation, don't he?" Wade was leaning against the door.

"Well, he is a genius, so they say." I chuckled, and instantly regretted it. My whole body ached. "I don't remember being this hurt."

"You weren't. Just massive bleeding from a grazing on your leg. It's mainly metal-boy's fault your hurt." Wade growled.

"How, exactly?"

"He dropped you."

"You hit me in the head with a baseball bat!" Tony yelled.

"How was I supposed to know you'd be showing up at my place?"

"Do you greet all your visitors like that?"

"I don't get visitors. For a reason."

"Then why did she say to come here?"

"Hell, I don't know! I'm no doctor!"

"I don't trust hospitals." I broke in, trying to stop the fight.

"But you trust a merc with your health?" Tony looked at me incredulously.

"No, I trust Weasel." I stated in a hard tone, so he wouldn't argue with me.

"Aww! I feel special." Weasel stood on the other side of me with a huge smile on his face.

"Am I all patched up, Weasel?" I asked, choosing to ignore the other two testosterone-driven males.

"Yep. I pumped you full of O-positive blood and bandaged up your leg. Try not to exert yourself for a few days; you're anemic and that makes the blood less able to clot like it should."

"You're an angel, Weez." I smiled and sat up. I looked around; I was in Weasel's house. Of course; Wade would never let Tony into his home. Hell, he wouldn't even let Weasel in there.

"What happened, Anna?" Tony asked.

"I was shot at."

"Well, that's obvious." Wade scoffed. "Who was it?"

"Dunno."

"You don't know?"

"I know he was a Hydra agent. And I think he was the Aryan's brother."

"The Aryan?" Tony cocked his head slightly to the side.

"You don't know the story." Wade chuckled. "You killed him?"

"Of course." I rolled my eyes. "He attacked me. I killed him. Easy enough of a concept to understand."

"You killed him so easily?" Tony's eyes went wide.

"What? You figured out that you don't know anything about her, metal-boy?" Wade smirked.

"You're really annoying, you know that?"

"I try."

"Stop it, both of you." I yelled.

"Annie, I should probably get you home." Wade looked to Tony. "You should leave now."

Tony gave him the deadliest look I've ever seen. "I'll see myself out."

"You do that."

"I'll be back at the lab tomorrow, Tony."

"Good. I'll call you tomorrow when you get out of school to check up on you." He left, and Wade laughed.

"You're right, Annie, he's a creeper."

"Wade, what the hell? Why are you being so weird about him all of a sudden?"

"I think I should leave you two alone." Weasel looked uncomfortable as he ran out of the room.

"I don't like him."

"A week ago you were cooing about how cute it was I got to meet him."

"That's before I knew-"

"What, Wade? Before you knew what?' I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Before I knew he was actually looking at you."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"He wants you, Siobhan. He wants to use you like he uses all the other pretty women he's around."

"Do you seriously think I'd fall in that trap?"

"You knew?"

"Of course!" I frowned at him. "He's sent me flowers twice now. I know what he wants, but he's not going to get it. I can't touch people, Wade! I can't kiss a sweetheart, I can't give a hug to a friend, hell I can't even shake the hand of someone I meet! I will never be trapped in anyone's sex net, because I _can't have sex!_"

"If you could, would you fall into his lap?" Wade yelled back.

"No! There's only one man I want, Wade, and I can't have him!" I jumped out of bed and stormed into Weasel's study. "I need a new teleporter. Mine was in Sinead." He silently handed me a new belt, and I popped back to the mansion. I shut myself up in my room.

"Annie! What's wrong?" Logan was at my door. I owed him an explanation, but I didn't feel like it. I couldn't handle it.

"Nothing. I'm fine." I called back, choking back my tears. I would never let him see me cry.

"Alright, kid. I'll be downstairs."

I plopped down on my bed and cried into my pillow. How could he not know? Through all of our teasing, did he really think I didn't have feelings for him? He was my best friend, I'd never take it so far as to ruin what we had, but how could he think I'd ever think of anyone else? What hurt the most was how he thought I was actually interested in Tony! Yeah, he was attractive, yeah I caught myself starring at times, but I'd never thought about it seriously. It was kinda like my obsession with Tom Cruise- it was never gonna happen.

I don't remember when I fell asleep; I only remember waking up the next morning, the skin on my face tight with my dried tears. I forced myself to get up, my leg hurt like hell. I took a shower, and pulled on loose jeans and a black tank top. I slowly walked down the hall to Logan's room. I knocked hesitantly on the door.

"Yeah?" Logan growled through the door.

"Dad? I need to talk to you."

"What's wrong?" The door flew open instantly. He looked worried.

"Did anyone tell you what happened yesterday?"

"Fury called and said I needed to talk to you. Didn't tell me why."

"I was attacked yesterday. One guy, really bad shot."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He growled, looking me over to see any damage.

"I was fine. Tony came and got and took me to Wade's to have Weasel look at me."

"You were hurt?"

"A bullet grazed my leg, I lost a lot of blood and passed out. I'm fine, otherwise." I looked to the ground. "Sinead blew up.'

"I'll buy you another truck; I'm more worried about you."

"I'm fine, Dad."

"'You don't look fine."

"It's only my leg."

"That's not what I meant." He looked at me, trying to read into my thoughts as if they were written on my face. Maybe they were.

"Wade and I had a fight. No biggie."

"Bull. You and Wade don't fight."

"We've fought before."

"Not seriously. You're thick as thieves."

"We've just hit a rough spot." I scratched the back of my head, trying to search for the right way to phrase it.

"It'll smooth over. It always does. I hate Deadpool, but for some damn reason, you love him."

"Yeah, for some damn reason."

I ran down the stairs to the kitchen and grabbed the bacon sandwich that Kurt made me every morning.

"Where were you last night? You didn't come to dinner." Kurt looked worried.

"I just wasn't hungry. No biggie."

"Annie, I've seen you out-eat the Blob, you're always hungry." Jean laughed.

"Thanks, now I feel fat." I pouted. "I'm gonna go run through the Danger Room before class."

"Annie, we only have ten minutes." Scott laughed.

"My first class is study hall, I can skip it. That gives me an extra hour." I winked at him.

"Fine, but don't blame us when you get detention." Jean laughed as they fled out of the kitchen and out to the car.

I walked down the hallway to the danger room. I placed my hand on the scanner and the large metal doors opened.

_ "Welcome, Siobhan."_

"Initiate training exercise 134, solo mission." I said loudly.

"_Yes, Siobhan."_

The objective of exercise 134 was to rescue a hostage in a bank robbery. Basic stuff; but it was all cardio that would help clear my mind. There were three men with guns, simple AK-47's. Well, simple for me, not simple for your common bank robbers. For the sake of not dying, the guns shot out little laser bolts. They stung like hell, but was in no way life-threatening. Past the goons with wanna-be guns were three hostages, each with a knife held at their throats. All I had to do was disarm the gunmen and free the hostages without getting them killed. No biggie.

Forty-five minutes later, I had twisted my ankle and let three hostages die. Great way to start a day. My attempt to cheer up just pissed me off more. I limped out of the danger room and down to the Professor's office. I lifted my hand to knock on the door, but he got to the punch before I could.

"Come in, Anna." He smiled at me and I limped in. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

"I needed to take a few minutes for myself."

"A few minutes to hurt yourself?" He chuckled.

"Not on purpose."

"Exercise 134 is a team mission only, Anna."

"You knew I was running the simulation? You could have stopped me."

"No, you would have gotten angry and done something even more insane."

"It's like you know me or something." I sat down in a chair in front of his desk; my ankle was a throbbing pain.

"Would you like me to bandage it up for you?"

"I can do it; I just need you to open the medical unit. You have it locked up."

"Alright. Are you sure you want to go to school today? It would be understandable if you wanted to stay home today." He was searching my face.

"No, I have to act as if nothing has happened. The project could be doomed-"

"The project is not as important as your health, Anna."

"It's much more important, Professor. We need Captain America." I shuffled uneasily in the chair.

"Something's bothering you." He made it a statement.

"I'm worried, professor."

"About?"

"Everyone. Myself. I don't know." I shook my head.

"Calm down and tell me what's on your mind."

"I got shot at, professor. On my way to the lab in my truck. They didn't get e, so they'll try again. What if they come here next? I'm endangering everyone around me."

"You knew that Dr. Carson had been assassinated."

"Yes, and I'm cool with getting myself in trouble; I know I can get out of it. I have no right to put everyone else in danger."

"Do you think you are better than us, Anna?"

"What!" I stared at him in shock.

"You think that you can pull yourself out of danger, but we cannot."

"That's not what I said."

"It is."

"I know you can, but I don't have the right to make you. I don't want anyone hurt because of me."

"Anna, we are a family. We help each other."

"Helping is one thing; I'm getting everyone in major dootie."

"There is nothing we can't handle. You must have faith in us as you have faith in yourself."

"I would rather know that you can survive and not put it to the test." I limped out of the room and got the keys to Logan's bike. I didn't care about my ankle anymore.

Between getting all my friends killed and fighting with Wade, I was…on edge. I was so not in a good mood, and the pain in my ankle didn't help. I limped to my second period class and sat beside Jean.

"You're the only 17 year old in the graduating class, and you're skipping class?" She laughed at me as I opened my folder. She looked down to see my swollen ankle. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. What are you doing today after school?"

"Nothing, why?"

"Meet me in the parking lot after school." I said in hushed tones. She nodded, knowing what was going to happen.

The day passed by quickly. There was another announcement about the talent show, but I knew there was no way I was going to get to enter. I was going to be far too busy. Today I was going to meet all of my team members and Jean was going to spaz out in utter joy at the lab. These were going to be the highlights of my day. Wow, I'm pathetic.

My phone rang, I answered, already knowing it was Tony. He always kept his word.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"I'm…ok."

"You don't sound ok."

"I'm a teenager, Tony. We're never truly ok."

"Point taken. I- I want to apologize for yesterday. I know that was no time for a petty fight."

"It's ok. Not entirely your fault."

"Still, I should have been more mature."

"Being immature around Deadpool is expected. He's contagious."

"He's not worth your time, you know."

"Tony, let's get something straight, ok? The flowers are nice. You're sweet, but please, stop. You're notorious for going after the wrong thing, and that's not something you're going t get out of me. I'd prefer we keep this strictly platonic."

"I see. I'm sorry you feel that way, but I'll respect your wishes." He sounded hurt. Why didn't I care?

"Thank you for getting me to Weasel's yesterday, and thank you for checking up on me. We'll be at the lab in about ten minutes."

"We?"

"Yes; we." I hung up the phone.

Jean rode behind me on the bike as we made our way to the warehouse. I had my .45 on my side; I made sure there were two more in the saddle bags, along with my blades. I was not going to be caught off guard again. I was careful to maintain the speed limit, trying not to attract any attention to us.

She gave me the weirdest look as I walked towards the warehouse, but she followed without a word. We went down in the elevator, and, I swear, people ten miles away heard her scream.

"OH. MY. GOD! This place is amazing!" She looked like a child at the North Pole. "Annie, this place has everything!" She ran from station to station checking out all of the equipment.

"She seems enthusiastic." Tony chuckled as he walked up behind me. I beamed at him.

"I knew she'd love it. Fury's putting her as my…I don't really know what to call it. She's gonna tell me if people are trustworthy."

"Can't do that yourself?"

"I'm a little too trusting."

"I can see that." He laughed.

"Where's Fury?"

"Not here. I get to introduce you to your team.'

"For someone who wanted me to work for him so badly, he's never around."

"He's a busy man."

"So it would seem."

"Well, wanna meet them?"

"Not really, but I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Nope."

"Damn."

There were six people standing in front of me; one I knew, the others I didn't. I gave Killebrew a hard stare, he gulped audibly. Tony looked at me questioningly, I just smiled.

"Hi, I'm Anna Howlett." I said sweetly.

"Seriously? You're our head scientist?" One man scoffed. I looked at him with a frown. I recognized him from the dossiers as Alex Triform. He was great at what he did, but he had records of being…well, a pain in the ass. I was going to have to watch out for him.

"Yep, seriously." I replied dryly.

"Shut up, Alex." A blonde beside him elbowed him in the ribs. I liked her. "I'm Cynthia Crawford. Sorry about him, he's an asshole."

"You two have worked together before?" jean asked, now standing beside me, completely calm.

"Done spazzing?" I asked.

"For now" She smiled.

"Yes, we've worked together several times." Cynthia replied.

"You two work well together?" I asked.

"Not really."

"Why not?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Well, he's a lecherous pig."

"A brilliant, lecherous pig." Alex laughed. I scowled at him.

"You may leave, Alex."

"What?" He gasped in shock.

"I'm not dealing with assholes."

"You can't just fire me!'

"Oh, yes I can. You have an attitude problem, I have an attitude problem; we'll butt heads, so I'm nipping this problem in the bud." I smirked.

"Thank you, Don Knotts." Tony chuckled.

"Thank you for getting my Andy Griffith reference."

"Fury hand-picked me!" Alex yelled.

"Yeah, and I'm kicking ya out." I smiled sweetly. "Buh-bye now."

"Agent Craig, take him for debriefing and all that good jazz, please." Tony talked into a little ear piece and a man in a black suit escorted Alex out.

"Ok, who's next?" I smiled and looked at the remaining, unnamed three. One man, I recognized as Kyle Pellbrook, left with them. Guess he didn't like me either.

"Patrick O'Malley." A redheaded, scrawny man of about 38 smiled at me, and shook my hand.

"Nice to meet you, Dr. O'Malley." I remembered his degree in bio-chemistry from his dossier. "Do you have any problem working with me?"

"None that I can think of, ma'am." He replied. Wow, manners.

"Awesome." I smiled.

"Why are you wearing leather gloves and long sleeves in March?" The last person asked.

"You must be Carla Foster." I smiled.

"That was rude, Carla." Tony shook his head.

"No, I appreciate bluntness." I smirked. "It's so I don't kill anyone."

"Gonna need a little more info than that."

"My mutation sucks the life energy out of people. I can't have any physical contact with humans or mutants." I was beginning to like this chick. She was stereotypical Mexican, 37 according to her dossier, and a mother of 3.

"So, no touching you."

"I won't give you the chance. Hence, the gloves and sleeves." I laughed. "Anyone else have any questions?" I wouldn't look at Killebrew.

"No, ma'am."

"Awesome, then I'll see you all tomorrow. Same place, same time." They all began to scatter. "not you, Killebrew. We need to chat."

I waited until we were alone; Jean and Tony went up in the elevator to chat. He looked at me with fear in his eyes.

"How ya doin' Killebrew?" I asked.

"I volunteered for this job."

"Didja now?"

"Please don't kill me."

"I'm not the one you should be worried about."

"I've been going to church every Sunday."

"And this means what to me?"

"I'm trying to make up for what I've done." He had tears running down his face. I tried not to laugh. God, I hated this man.

"You really think you can make up for what you did to all of those people? Wade is not going to forgive you, no matter what you do."

"I made so many mistakes."

"You will be punished for them."

"Are you going to kill me?" He looked into my eyes for an answer.

"No."

"You're an angel of mercy."

"That's Fury, actually. I tried to kill you; he forbade it."

"You- tried?" His face stretched with terror.

"You betcha. I want you dead for what you did to Wade." I scowled at him.

"For making him a monster." He whispered.

"He's not a monster!" I screamed. I grabbed him by the collar and yanked him up off his feet. "He is not a monster, you are!"

"Please-!" He choked out. I dropped him to the ground and stared at him.

"I am being forced to work with you, Killebrew. I will behave and so will you. However, when this is all over, and the Cap is awake, I am free to do whatever I want. Ya know what I wanna do, killebrew?" Hey, that rhymes…

"Kill me?" he squeaked.

"Nope. I'm giving your sorry ass to Deadpool, and God have mercy on your soul, you rotten bastard!" I stomped off, leaving him in a pool of tears and fear.


	8. If You Ignore Him, He'll Shoot You

I stared out the window, enjoying the sight of the rain falling from the sky and drizzling down the sides of the mansion. My mind was replaying all of the information I had received from Carson's research. _Unceremoniously cryogenically frozen. Total vegetative state. Possible coma? No, too much brain activity. Could he know he was frozen? How much is he aware of? How much will he remember upon being awakened?_

There were far too many questions and not enough answers. Carson had gotten so close to finding a way to wake him up, but he had never really considered what the mental health of Steve Rogers would be afterward. The psychological implications were completely unforeseeable. That worried me. What good was an icon if he was insane?

An icon. That's what I had to think of him as. I could not afford to think of him as a person. If this failed, he died. If I thought of him as a person, that made me a murderer. I couldn't have that on my soul. I'd killed too many in my life that were evil to be forever stained by the death of a person truly good. I'd go insane….er.

Formulas, equations, statistics, and schematics flew through my mind. I had found the blueprints Carson had made of the machine, and gave them to Tony. They were fairly simple- a little too simple. Carson had proposed a bit of electro-shock to jolt awake all of the subjects bodily functions and higher brain activity. That seemed far too dangerous. There was too much of a risk for electrocution. There had to be a safer way.

The doorbell rang, breaking me away from my musings. I sniffed the air; I didn't recognize the person at the door. I growled under my breath and made my way downstairs. I had not been attacked since Sinead blew up, and it was making me paranoid. Would Hydra be stupid enough to go after me here?

Jean was about to open the door when I reached the bottom of the stairs. She gave me a look of confusion as I pulled her back. I shook my head and looked out the peephole. It was a man in a uniform. Didn't look military. I let go of Jean and she opened the door, laughing.

"Chill, Annie."

"Flowers for Siobhan Analya." The man said; he was holding a bouquet of white lilies, my favorite.

"I'm Siobhan." I said, taking the flowers.

"Sign here, please." I signed, and he left.

"More flowers? God this is getting weird, Annie. You're gonna have to tell me who they're from."

"It better not be from who I think." I growled. I told Tony to back off. Why the hell would he send more flowers? There was a card stuck in the middle. I opened it and read aloud, "Spoon."

"Spoon? That's all it says?" Jean raised an eyebrow at me.

"That's all it needs to say." I beamed at her and ran upstairs to my room. I was hoping he had this all planned out; I'd get the flowers and then he would teleport on to my bed, where he always was when I wasn't at school. I ran into the room.

"You're not mad?" I yelled as I pushed the door open.

My face fell; I almost dropped the flowers. Wade wasn't there. No one was there. I was alone. I picked up my phone, hoping for a missed call or a text message; nothing.

I sighed, and put my flowers down on my desk beside my computer. I looked over to my dresser and saw Tony's flowers, now almost dead. I picked them up and threw them in the trash can. I put the vases on a shelf beside some books. They were pretty. For the first time I noticed that they were both decorated with Monet's _Pansies_. I loved that painting.

I looked over to the substitute teleporter that Weasel had given me, and seriously thought about popping over to Wade's house. Maybe I could convince him to have Doritos tacos at Taco bell or something. Mmmm…Doritos tacos…. No. Bad idea. I should just continue doing what I was doing. What, nothing? God, why was I stressing about this? Our friendship had never been stressed before. Maybe it was because I was finally admitting to myself that I had feelings for him. Maybe I was turning into a pussy. Yeah, I'll go with the second one. I needed to chill the frig out.

"Annie, what are you up to?" Jean walked in without knocking and st on my bed.

"What do you mean? I've done nothing…lately."

"Who's been sending the flowers?"

I sighed heavily. "The first two were from…"

"Yes?"

"Tony."

"As in Tony Stark?" he eyes went wide.

"Yeah." I looked down at my shoes.

"And the lilies?'

"Wade."

"Wade hasn't been over here the past few days."

"A lot of shit's gone down this past two weeks, red."

"You used to tell me everything, Annie."

"There's too much I don't want you to know."

"Why don't you want me to know?" She looked confused.

"You'll think I'm being stupid- hell! I _am_ being stupid!"

"You're 17. You're supposed to be stupid."

"No, I'm not. I'm supposed to be mature. I have killed people with my bare hands and I can't fucking handle a little boy trouble? The hell is wrong with me, Jean?"

"Just because you're uber-genius smart, doesn't mean that you can't act like a teenager."

"Doesn't it though?"

"No. It just gives you an extra excuse. You know, you've never really acted your own age. You've taken care of yourself sine you mother died, and you've taken care of Logan since you found him. Wade came along, and you take care of him, too. Then there's us, all the X-Men. You're always looking out for us; cooking meals, driving us to school, helping with homework, leading us in simulation exercises. You're like a giant mother hen."

"I am not."

"Yes, you are. You've never really cared about yourself, only others. Now you've actually got the chance."

"I feel…silly."

"It's part of being a teenager. Now, when were you going to tell me you had a crush on Wade?" She hit me with a pillow and I laughed.

"I didn't mean to just now!" I hit her back with my fluffly cow pillow. "Pillow fight!" Ah, it'd been a while since I had fun with Jean.

I was laying on my bed, trying to read _Letters from the Earth_, by Mark Twain, when I heard a knocking on my window. Now, as you might have guessed by my constant climbing of stairs, I live on the second story. I don't even have a balcony, so how the hell could someone have been knocking on my window? I grabbed the machete I keep under my pillow, and slowly walked over. I pulled back the curtain and raised the blade above my head, only to drop it when I saw Wade hovering on a board in front of my window.

"OHMIGOD! What the hell, Wade?" I jerked open the window and pulled him inside. He laughed at me and bounced on my bed.

"I borrowed the board from the little Goblin man." He giggled.

"Borrowed?" I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms over my chest.

"You haven't seen me in two weeks, and this is the greeting I get?" he pouted.

"You asshole!" I giggled as I grabbed him in a hug.

"Still mad at me, kitten?"

"How could I stay mad at you? I figured you were pissed at me."

"Nope. Just waiting for you to come back over. Did you get my flowers?"

"Spoon? Seriously? You're so gross." I giggled.

"Yep. Now, pack a bag."

"What?"

"You're afraid of getting you precious X-Men hurt, so you and Jean and gonna stay at my place where I can keep you safe."

"How the hell do you know that?"

"I have the mansion bugged."

"I'll be sure to tell Cyclops so he can sweep the place."

"Damn." He smiled and hugged me again. "You are never to ignore me again, understood. I'll shoot you in the face otherwise."

"You wouldn't do that, Wade. You enjoy my face too much."

"There's a lot of you I enjoy, kitten."

"Jean won't come. She'll insist on staying here. She's probably safer here, anyway."

"You don't think I can keep her safe?"

"You'll have your hands full with me, Wade."

"Will I now?" He winked at me through his mask. I rolled my eyes and grabbed a bag outta my closet.

"Pack my bag for me? I need to go talk to Logan."

"Sure, kitten." He smiled maliciously. I shook my head, wishing I could take that back.

I went down the hall and knocked on Logan's door. There was no answer.

"Dad?" I called softly as I opened the door.

He wasn't there. I looked to his desk; the keys to his bike were gone. He was probably off on a ride. I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down that I would be at Wade's. I hoped he wouldn't get pissed off, but I knew he would be. I sighed, and went back to my room. Wade was sitting on my bed, my bag stuffed full beside him. He was smiling at me.

"Promise you're not mad at me?"

"Kitten, I can never stay mad at you."

"But you were mad."

"You really wanna talk about this right now?"

"You'll avoid it otherwise."

"True."

"Answer me, Wade."

"Fine. Yes, I was mad, but not really at you. I wanted to kill Stark. Could you imagine what I felt when I see him carrying your unconscious body into Weasel's apartment?"

"Violence, apparently."

"Ok, so maybe I shouldn't have hit him with the Louisville Slugger." He shrugged.

"Why do you hate so much?"

"He seemed so close to getting something I couldn't have it pissed me off."

"What can't you have?"

"You!" He yelled.

"What?"' OMG, did he just-?

"You're gonna make me say it, aren't you?"

"It'd be nice to know I'm not just going insane."

"Going?"

"Wade."

"Fine. I love you, Siobhan. I'm not about to share you with anyone."

"Ok, now we can go."

"What? No 'I love you, too, Wade, darling?'"

"Nope."

"Dammit."


	9. A New Car OR Scott Ruins Annie's Day

Wade's house was nice and clean, and very orderly; no thanks to him. His prisoner…I mean roommate, Al, was blind as a bat, literally. She had to have everything in a certain place so she didn't run into them and break her hip or something. Now, in the basement, where Wade actually lived, that was different. It was messy. That was an understatement. There were guns, bullets, blades, and bombs strewn all across the room. Papers all across the floor and a poster of Audrey Hepburn on the wall. Wade had a thing for classic movie icons.

"It's not like Wade to let anyone in the house, much less stay here." Al chuckled.

"What can I say? I'm special." I smiled, realized she couldn't see it, and followed Wade up the stairs.

"You can have this room. There's no window, so you don't have to worry about snipers. It's a queen sized bed; Al changed the sheets this morning, so it's clean." He dropped my bag on the bed and smiled at me. "I kinda like this."

"What? My being hunted like an animal?" I giggled.

"No, though that does make the game a little more fun. I mean you staying in my house. I like the idea."

"Ya know what? So do I." I kissed his cheek through his mask.

"Aww shucks." He laughed and pulled out a teleporter belt. "Weasel gave you a makeshift one, but here's a better one to replace the one that went up in flames with Sinead."

"Thanks, Wade." I cringed a little at the memory of my truck burning. I missed my baby.

"We can get you another Chevy, kitten." It was like he could read my mind, or maybe he just knew me that well. Could be either one with Wade.

"It won't be Sinead, pumpkin. It's kinda like when a Sultan's wife dies. He has several others, but none quite as good as the first one."

"Bad analogy."

"Oh, like yours are so much better." I laughed and punched him in the arm.

"Ow. Why you so mean?"

"Would you like me if I weren't?"

"Nope. It just wouldn't be you." He grabbed me in a huge bear hug and kissed my head.

"You're gonna end up getting hurt one day, pumpkin." I said, pushing away.

"If getting to kiss you means spending a couple days in a coma, it'd be well worth it." He chuckled.

"You're insane." I shook my head and turned to my bag. "I should start unpacking."

"Right. I'll leave you to it. I'll be in the basement." He turned to leave.

"Wade?" I stared at my bag.

"Yes?" He turned his head back to look at me.

"Thank you."

"Anytime, kitten. I mean that." He left me alone to sort out my things.

I opened the bag and pulled some hangers out of the closet. It was a fairly large closet; that made me happy. I dumped the contents of the bag onto the bed, grabbing off the top and putting them on hanger, or folding them and putting them in drawers. Wade really knew my style. He had gathered two pairs of boy's shorts, three pairs of blue jean, my favorite camo jeans, and a pair of capris. He also had jumbled up several t-shirts and tank tops. When I got to the bottom of the pile, I burned red with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. He had shoved several lacey red thongs and three red leather corsets into my bag. I don't remember ever buying lingerie!

"WADE!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "WHAT THE FUCK?"

"Just wishful thinking, kitten!" He yelled back from the basement.

"You asshat!"

Why the hell did Al have a car? That was the only thing I could think of when she offered to let me drive her car while I stayed with her and Wade. I graciously accepted, of course, but what the hell? Why did the blind chick have a car? More importantly, what kind of car had I just agreed to drive?

A Jaguar XKE II E-type. That was the answer. One of the best classic cars I'd ever seen and I got to drive it around town. I was having a mini-spaz attack just looking at it!

"Are you drooling?" Wade laughed as he handed me the keys.

"Wade, did you know she had this car?"

"Yep."

"How do you not drive this everywhere?"'

"I don't like cars."

"This, Wade, is not a car. This is a gift from God! Do you know how much one of these costs at used market value?"

"Five grand?"

"I should shoot you!"

"Wouldn't be the first time."

"Wade! This is a little piece of history!"

"I prefer the future."

"You don't even have antique car tags on the license!"

"Should I?"

"Wade!"

"Just drive the damned car, Annie!" He threw his hands in the air and walked back in the house.

I smiled and slid into the car. I carefully pushed the key into the ignition, and started her up. She purred like a mother cat. I reveled in the feeling of the vibrations from the engine. This was amazing! I backed out of the drive way, and went a little down the road. I pulled into a back alley, out of sight of passersby, and pushed the button on my teleporter. The car and I appeared in a back alley three miles from the school. I turned back on to the main road and made my way to school.

I loved the looks on people's faces as I drove the Jag into the school parking lot. I parked next to Scott and the others, who had driven in just before me, and sat in the car for a few moments, gathering myself; trying to calm down from the euphoria.

"Whoa! Annie, where did you get that?" Kurt spurted in disbelief.

"Borrowed it from a friend."

"That's one awesome friend!" Kitty laughed.

"I know! She's pretty awesome when she wants to be."

"Where were you last night, Annie?" Scott demanded, ignoring everyone else.

"With a friend."

"Logan was pissed."

"I left him a note."

"Annie, you've been acting really strange lately. I think you owe us an explanation."

"Leave her alone, Scott. She doesn't want us to know, and that's her business." Jean stuttered.

"No, you're going to tell me what's up. You're never home anymore, you've become reclusive, and you never talk to us anymore. Not to mention, your truck blew up. How does a truck just blow up, Annie? What have you been doing?"

"Scott, don't ask me this. Just leave it alone."

"We're your friends. You need to trust us.'

"I trusted you to trust me." I said softly. Scott jerked back, then scowled.

"Scott, stop." Jean pleaded.

"Did you tell Jean, Annie? Is she the one you trust? Not the rest of us?"

"I agree with specs on this one, Annie." Rogue sighed. "What's been going on?"

"You're being really shady." Scott growled.

"Scott, stop being such an asshole!" Jean yelled. His face fell in shock. I looked at her, eyes wide. Little miss priss just cussed out her best friend! How very un-Jean. "She's dealing with some stuff that she doesn't want to share with us. Leave her alone and give her some space!"

Scott didn't say a word. He turned and started walking to class; the others followed his lead. Jean gave me an awkward smile and went off to her class. I shook my head and got back in the car. I drove to the cliffs that overlook the town. I sat there and cried, getting tears all over the leather interior. SHIELD was destroying my life.

I sat there, blubbering like an idiot for what seemed like hours. I finally sniffed it all in and drove to the warehouse. It was only 9:00, no one would be there. Good. I parked the car and rode the elevator down. The lab was so quiet, so peaceful; I needed that. I sat at my little desk and read over my notes. Maybe I could get a jump start on the simulations I wanted to do. I wanted to recreate the freezing process with a rat, and try the good doctor's theory about electrified awakening. I didn't think it would work; I was pretty sure it would only kill the rat. I kinda hoped it would work though, if it didn't we'd have to start from scratch. That didn't bode well for me. I wanted this done with. I couldn't afford to let this place ruin my life. That was my goal now. Get this done. Fix my life.

Twelve hours later, I had disproven the theory and seven others. I was exhausted, both mentally and physically. Fury wanted me to go home and get some rest, but I couldn't. My body was so tired, but I knew I couldn't sleep. I was too determined. Fury actually carried me back to my car, and I left begrudgingly. I teleported back to Wade's, but then drove out to a gym. I went in and paid a one-time visit fee, and went straight to the treadmill.

I dug my iPod out of my bag and pressed play. I had my biology textbook on audio. I listened to Chapter 18 as I ran. The chapter ended, but I wasn't tired. I listened to another, still running, but I could still move. I ended up listening to four chapters before my legs gave out on me and I fell off the treadmill. Luckily, at 11:00, there was no one but me in the room. I got up and dusted myself off. My phone started ringing. I cussed, knowing it was Wade. I forgot to tell him where I was. He was gonna be pissed. Perfect, having another pissed at me would perfect my day.

"Siobhan, where are you?" His voice was calm, which surprised me.

"Two blocks from your house, at the gym."

"Why?"

"Needed to run off some stress."

"Come home."

"I was actually about to."

"Good. I have a surprise for you, kitten."

"Ok, I'll be home in a few minutes." I hung up the phone, realizing that I had called Wade's house 'home.'

Wade was waiting for me in the living room. He smiled as I walked in.

"Jean called earlier."

"Did she now?"

"She figured you were over here. Scott's an asshole, kitten. Don't let him bother you."

"He's right, though. About everything. I trust them; I should be able to tell them what I am doing."

"If they knew, they'd be in danger, you know that."

"They're my family, Wade. I hate keeping secrets from them. I must protect them at all costs, I know. I guess one of those costs is just them hating me."

"They don't hate you, Siobhan. Believe it or not, Scott's just worried about you; even if he is being a total dick about it." He rolled his eyes. I smiled. "That's better."

"You're not wearing your mask."

"I'll go get it." He turned to go to the basement, I grabbed his arm.

"I don't like it when you wear it, you know that."

"Yeah, well I don't like it when you're upset."

"You're cheering me up."

"You really want to see this face?" He gestured to the scars covering his face. I smiled and ran my gloved fingers across his cheek.

"I wouldn't want to see anything else. I want to see you, not a mask."

He kissed my fingers and hugged me. "I love you, Siobhan."

"I love you, too, Wade." I felt my face burn cherry red, but I didn't care. I was tired of pretending I was strong. In his arms, I wanted to be weak; if only for a few minutes.

I felt his lips on my cheek. My eyes went wide in horror. I had hidden my face in his chest, I hadn't seen him lean in to touch me. I thrust myself out of his arms and stared at him, expecting him to fall unconscious on the floor. He stood there, smirking. He wasn't hurt!

"How?" I whispered.

"I've been talking to your professor. He had a theory."

"A theory?" I was shaking. I didn't know if I was still shocked or just angry.

"My increased healing factor. He thought that it might not let you hurt me."

"That's insa-…that makes sense. You heal so rapidly…you could as quickly as my power would wound." I felt a smile slowly spread across my face. "I can…I can touch you."

I kissed him. It felt more amazing than anything I'd ever felt. I peeled off my glove and let my fingers run across his face. His skin was much smoother than I had thought. He grabbed my arms and pinned against a wall; I let him. He moved his lips from mine down my neck. He flicked my collar bone with his tongue; my breath quickened. I felt…scared? Nervous? Fretful? He kissed back up to my lips and ran his tongue across my bottom lip. He kissed my forehead lightly and let go of me.

"I'm not going to push you too far."

"But I-"

"No. I'm taking this slow for you." He smiled at me and tugged on my arm. "You need to sleep. Now. It's way passed your bed time, little girl."

"Do you have any idea how much you sound like pedobear?"

"Pedo what?"

"Never mind."


	10. Wolverine's Tender Heart

_"Mr. Hallworth?"_ The PA system clicked on in my English class.

"Yes?" Mr. Hallworth replied.

_"Will you please send Anna Howlett to the office?"_

"She'll be right there." He looked at me, and I nodded. I took my things with me, not sure if I would need to come back. When I get called to the office, it's never a good thing.

Logan was pacing in the main hall as I walked up.

"What's wrong?" I asked, instantly worried.

"We need to talk. I checked you out; you need to come to the mansion for a little bit."

"Is this about me staying with Wade?" I asked.

"No, but I'm not happy about that either." He sighed. "We need to have a talk, and we need to be home to have it."

"Fair enough. I'll get my car and follow you home."

"Good." He kissed my head and walked out to his bike.

I ran around to the back of the school, to the student parking lot. I threw my book-bag in the back and started up the Jag. I saw Logan pulling out; I followed. I hadn't been to the mansion in days, I loved the scenery of the roads as we drove around curves and straights to the main gate. I parked in front, and got out to see Logan already waiting for me. Dang, he was fast. He sighed heavily.

"Do you remember when we first met?" He asked, as we walked into the foyer.

"Of course. How could I ever forget?" I laughed, trying to break his tension. He knew he could tell me anything, why was he so terrified?

"You were just a little girl, about 12."

"My mother had died when I was 11, and I spent all my time on the street until I met you."

"I was walking by when I smelled Magneto. I went to check it out, and he's attacking a little girl." He sat down in a wingback chair. I stayed silent, letting him finish. "I broke in, and tried to kill him. I won't lie, there's no point. I was hoping to kill him. He had back-up. Sabretooth tried to get me from behind; you stopped him. Somehow you were able to drive him in a corner and chop off his arm with that little blade you carried with you. Magneto was about to kill me, you touched him, and absorbed him. He almost died, but not quite. That's why he needed Rebirth the first time. You sucked so much out of him, he was going to die." He grabbed my gloved hand and held it in his. "You saved my life, or, at least, you thought you did. I couldn't just walk away from you and leave you there to suffer on the street. I had no idea how to raise a kid, but I had to try for you."

"What's wrong, Dad? You're shaking."

"I couldn't walk away then…and I couldn't walk away this time."

"What are you talking about?"

"I went for a ride a couple days ago; the day you left for Deadpool's. I was tracking Sabretooth, trying to figure out how he knew about the attack. I wanted answers. What I found was….completely different." He took a deep breath. "He was choking a little girl, no more than ten. He kept yelling 'Give me the answers! I must know!' The child was dying. I didn't even think. I just reacted."

"You saved her." I made it a statement; I beamed at him. "What's her name?"

"Dena. She…has no family. She was on the streets, just like you were. I couldn't leave her."

"Where is she?"

"In a spare room."

"Can I…go talk to her?"

"I think that's a good idea."

"Dad," I gave him a big hug and smiled at him, "you did the right thing. Thank you."

"Why are you thanking me for saving her?"

"Not just her, dad; both of us." I smiled and went to the spare room.

She was sitting on the bed, staring out the window. She was a small thing. She was wearing shorts and a ratty shirt; you could see how thin she was. She looked like she hadn't eaten well in weeks. She looked at me as I walked in, her long platinum blond hair flapping over her right eye. She pushed it back to show glowing blue eyes and a round face that showed no emotion. She'd be a hell of a poker player.

"Hi. I'm Annie. I'm Logan's daughter." I stuck out a gloved hand, and she shook it hesitantly.

"Why are you wearing gloves?" She asked quietly. Her voice was soft and fragile.

"So I don't hurt anyone. I'm a mutant; my power is to absorb people's energy, but if I'm not careful, I could hurt people." I explained with a smile.

"I'm a mutant, too. Do I need to wear gloves?"

"What's your ability?"

"I can be anybody I want." She picked up a magazine off the desk and showed me a picture of Jennifer Anniston. She closed her eyes, and her body slowly changed to fit Jennifer's profile. I smiled in awe.

"You're a shape-shifter. That's so cool!" I beamed at her. She quickly shifted back and blushed.

"My mother said that most people would hate me for it."

"Some people will, I won't lie, but not here. Everyone in this house is a mutant, just like you. We all love each other and take care of each other. We're a family."

"I don't have a family.'

"What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't mind. My mother…she died…in a car accident. She told me to run. She didn't want the police to get me. She said they would hurt me if thy found out what I really look like."

"What you really look like?" I asked. Then it hit me. I remembered Mystique. She was a shape-shifter, and her true form was a blue-skinned, yellow-eyed psycho. "Can you show me what you look like?"

"I…"

"You don't have to. I understand." I put my hand on top of hers. "Have you met Kurt?"

"No. I've only seen Logan and the man in the wheel chair.'

"The man in the wheel chair is Professor Charles Xavier."

"Does he experiment on us? My mother warned me about them." She looked horrified.

"No!" I quickly responded. "He keeps those people away from us. He keeps us safe."

"Logan kept me safe."

"Logan's a good man."

"Why do you call your father by his name?"

"Well, he wasn't always my father. My mother died when I was young, just like yours. He found me and took me in and adopted me. I've been here ever since. He took me off the streets and loved me and gave me a home and a family."

"I don't know him, but, for some reason, I trust him."

"He's just that kinda guy. He's so easy to trust. The only bad thing is has a bit of a temper."

"Does he hit you?"

"No!" I laughed. "He would never hurt anyone he loves. He just growls a lot and yells at everyone else."

"You're very nice."

"Thanks. I try." I chuckled and looked at her. "Would you like some different clothes? I think have some stuff I had when I was a kid that might fit you."

"These clothes are dirty…." She said thoughtfully.

"Right. Follow me." I smiled and led her into my room.

She plopped down on my bed as I dug in my bottom drawer. I found some jeans and a couple shirts that I tossed on the bed beside her. She beamed and held the clothes up to see if they would fit. She tried them on, and they were a bit big. I had a bigger bone structure than she had when I was a kid. I logged on to my computer and checked my bank account.

"How would you like to go shopping?"

"Shopping?" Her eyes sparkled with excitement. Great, we're gonna have a girly girl in the house; she'd get a long great with Kitty.

"Oh, yeah." I laughed. "I'll tell Logan where we're going, and we'll go to the mall."

"Are we taking the bike?" She looked a little scared. Oh, no. I was so not having a girl in the house who was afraid of bikes. I was gonna have to break her of that fear, but not today.

"No, it's hard to carry bags on the bike. We'll take my car."

"You have your own car?" She looked incredulous.

"Well, technically, it's a friend's. She's letting me use it until I get a new truck. Mine broke down."

"I'm sorry."

"Not your fault." I laughed.

The mall was not busy at all. It was only like 10:00, so there weren't any teenaged mall rats hanging around. It was the perfect time for a little bonding/shopping time.

"Do you have any favorite stores, Dena?" I asked.

"I never told you my name."

"Logan told me." I laughed; I had forgotten to get her name from her. I guess it was a little weird.

"I never really went shopping anywhere but Walmart."

"I see. Well, do you have a favorite style? Brand? Color?"

"I like black."

"Wonderful! Black goes with everything, so you won't have a problem matching things up." I thought about all the stores….I had a hunch. "Have you ever seen the movie Gypsy 83?"

"Yes! I love that movie!" She exclaimed. I was surprised that a kid that young had seen such a cult-classic movie.

"Ok, then I know where our first stop will be."

I felt a little silly bringing a ten year old into Hot Topic, I gotta say, but I saw her face light up when we went in, and I was excited. She ran straight to the shoes, picking up a pair of three inch heels and smiling. I laughed and steered her towards the t-shirts. She wanted a Cobra Starship shirt, so I made her get one of their CD's as well. I wasn't going to let her be a poser! She didn't like any of the jeans they had, she said they were too tight, but she fell in love with Tripp pants. All they had were far too big for her, so I told her we'd look online for some smaller ones. She was like a kid in a candy store! It was so cute. When we left we had six bags full of shirts, hair bows, make up (which I didn't like, but whatever), and a couple pairs of shoes. Thank God I had a membership card!

Next we went into JC Penny's to find some pants that fit her. Several of the types that looked nice on her had pink flowers or patterns on it that she despised. We were able to find a couple that were unadorned, however. One pair, she instantly fell I love with. They were black jeans with slashes down the legs that exposed pink tights underneath. Only covered by the black would she accept the pink. I threw in a couple pairs of socks, then we headed to the bathroom for her to put on her new clothes.

We made quite the pair, sitting in the food court, munching on subways sammiches. I had on my favorite camo shorts and a snug Harley shirt with bright Osiris skating shoes; she had on a black spaghetti strap tank top and faded blue jeans with a pair of Iron Fist creepers on her dainty feet. We were the poster kids for rejects everywhere, and we got the odd looks we deserved. This kid was just as much of an attention-shocker as I was! I liked her, a lot.

"So, you're in about 4th grade, right?" I asked, trying not to drip sauce from my meatball marinara run down my chin.

"I was homeschooled until my mother died." She answered, her mouth full of turkey and pepperjack cheese.

"We'll have to make you take a placement test. You need to be in school."

"I don't like people." She squirmed a little in her seat.

"Maybe the professor wouldn't mind homeschooling you, but it'd be hard. Going to public school would be easier."

"I don't mind hard. I like learning."

"That's good, but school also teaches social skills that you need. It's invaluable."

"I really don't want to."

"Ok, well, that's not really up to me, but we can talk to the prof about it." I smiled and took another bite. I hadn't smiled so much in a long time. This kid was great!

"Are we safe in the mansion?"

"Of course." I looked at her, confused. "Why wouldn't you be?'

"He'll try to find me."

"You mean Sabretooth."

"Yes. He hurts me when I disobey."

"He will not hurt you again. I promise." I looked her hard in the eyes. I made a silent vow to protect her. She was so…innocent. I couldn't let that be tarnished. I wanted to take her in my arms and hold her and tell her everything would be alright from now on. I was once where she was….no. I was never hurt by a man like she was. I was alone. She was constantly threatened. I wanted to keep her safe.

"We should probably get back to the mansion."

"Can I…can I sleep in your room tonight?"

"I…" I thought about Wade. I couldn't go back tonight, I needed to watch over her; protect her. "Of course." I smiled and took up her trash and threw it away. She reached for my hand, and I took it. We walked back to the car, smiling and laughing. I pushed her Cobra Starship CD into the player in the car. Good Girls Go Bad was an awesome song to drive home by.


	11. Annie Loves Her Louisville Slugger

"How's the little tot doing?" Wade asked as I peered into a microscope.

"She's doing good. She doesn't like sleeping alone, though."

"So, you're not coming back to my place anytime soon, then?"

''Fraid not. You could stay with me though, if you think I'll be shot in my sleep."

"I might just take you up on that offer." He kissed the back of my neck. "But what I had in mind won't work if there's a kid in the room."

"You, sir, are a bad person." I laughed as I scribbled down some notes on a clip board.

"Any progress?" Fury came in, smiling. That scared me.

"A little. I ran some tests and Carson's research was all wrong. It would have killed the Cap." I replied with a sigh.

"Anything else?"

"There's a serum I've been working on. It would stimulate all his natural body functions. The hard part would be thawing him out. Tony's been working with Patrick on a machine to do exactly that."

"Wonderful. Have you been having any more troubles?" he asked, looking me over.

"You mean in the way of assassins? No. It's been safe and quiet for a couple weeks now."

"That worries me."

"You, too, huh?" Wade laughed. Fury narrowed his eyes at him.

"Deadpool, I trust you're behaving yourself?"

"Do you see me trying to kill anyone?"

"That's the bad thing about you, Deadpool, we don't always see what you're up to."

"Sir, you've got a visitor in your office.' One of them men in suits said from behind him.

"In my office….in New York?"

"Yes, sir."

"Shit. Keep up the good work, Anna." He was gone as quickly as he had appeared.

"Patrick!" I called.

"Yes?"

"How are those schematics coming?"

"Great. We'll have them perfected by the week's end."

"Epic." I smiled. "The serum is near perfection, too. We could have Steve Rogers awake in a couple weeks." I giggled at the thought of all our hard work paying off.

"You're getting closer. I'd expect assassination attempts to rise." Wade said.

"Why are you talking like a stock analyst?"

"It's my day job?" he shrugged.

"Why don't you go ahead and quit your day job?" I laughed and put my notes down on my desk.

"At the moment, my day job is watching you."

"Sounds sexual."

"It could be." He bit my ear and I yelp softly.

"Stop that!" I hit him in the arm.

"Anna, we need your help over here." Cynthia called.

"Coming!" I replied. I kissed Wade on the cheek. "Go on back to the mansion. I'll see you when I get back."

"I can't keep you safe from the mansion."

"I think I can handle one drive back to the mansion at night." I laughed. "Go on."

On my way home, it was raining. It was April, the month of rain, but I still hated it. Al had good wipers on the Jag, thank God. I drove slowly back to the mansion. I hated driving in the rain. There was too much of a risk for hydroplaning.

I could barely see in front of me; the high beams on the Jag weren't very good. I had a very bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I hoped my plan would work.

I knew that one of my team members was working for Hydra. With my admission that Steve would be awake in a matter of weeks, I knew Hydra would strike. The conditions were perfect tonight. I knew someone was going to try to kill me. I needed to know who it was. The only people in the lab today were Killebrew, Cynthia, and Patrick. If someone attacked me, I knew three possible suspects. I had my gun in my lap, ready for whatever someone threw at me.

The jag jolted, and I stomped on the breaks. I had a flat tire. I don't think it was an accident. I put my hair up in a ponytail, readied my gun, and got out of the car. I walked in the pouring rain around to the passenger rear tire. It was dead flat.

I felt a boot kick me in the back. I dropped to my knees with a scream. I pulled up the gun and fired blindly. Shit! I couldn't see in the rain! I saw the fist fly towards my face. I ducked, and swirled around, one leg outstretched, and knocked my attacker over. I heard a grunt; it was female.

"Cynthia, you fucking Hydra bitch!" I yelled as I kicked her in the side. "How much are they paying you, ya lil whore?" I curbed stomped her for what seemed like hours. I could see the red of the blood mixing with the puddles of rain. I grabbed her by the shirt and threw her in the trunk. I jumped back in the Jag and drove back to the lab, ignoring the flat tire.

I tied her to her chair in the lab. It spun, that made me smile.

"Kill me. Go ahead. Two will spring in my stead." She spat.

"Ya know, I am really tired of hearing that." I laughed.

"You're a stupid bitch! You sent Deadpool back; no one was there to save you."

"Umm, bitch? I just saved myself. And don't flatter yourself to think that I had no idea what was going on. I sent him away on purpose! He'd want to kill you, but I need answers."

"I'm not saying shit!"

"Oh, you will. And if not, you'll scream until it's music to my ears, you little Hydra flunkie." I gripped the baseball bat I found in the Jag tightly in my hand.

"You think a little pain will do anything? I've been trained to-" I howled in pain as I smacked her in the head with the bat. The chair spun around. It made me laugh. I stopped her and pulled her chair across the room by her long blond hair. I grabbed a beaker of acid. "Now, I want answers. Who are you working for?"

"Fuck you."

"Wrong answer. I'ma try again. Who are you working for?"

"You will all suffer under the rule of Hydra!"

"Still not playing by the rules, bitch." I lifted her head up and let a little of the acid trickled onto her face. I could hear the sizzling of her burning flesh over the sound of screaming. "Who are you working for?"

"FUCK YOU!"

I shrugged and poured some more down her exposed cleavage. "That's what you get for being a treacherous whore." Her screams were bloodcurdling. I braced myself. This was no time to wimp out. I needed answers, and I really didn't want to die. This bitch was only getting what was coming to her.

Three hours later, I was staring at a corpse. I pulled out my cell phone and called Fury.

"What?"

"Nice way to answer the phone."

"Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"I need a clean up."

"Who did you kill this time?" He sighed.

"Hydra assassin. And a mole."

"Two bodies?"

"Nope, just one."

"Damn it. Who was it?"

"Cynthia."

"Shit. We should have known that."

"I've got the whole thing on tape."

"You mean the murder?"

"No, you sarcastic ass. The interrogation."

"Interro- you're not authorized-"

"Well, I did it anyway. Now, I'm going home and to bed. I'll talk to you tomorrow, _sir_." I hung up the phone and teleported home, leaving the Jag to be picked up by a mechanic the next day.

When I got back to the mansion, both Wade and Dena were in bed asleep. It was so creepy, it was cute. I stood there for a moment, my breath caught in my throat. This was the one thing I had been denied all my life; the thought that I could ever have a family. The two of them looked like a father and daughter, and I made the mother. I took a shower, then climb into bed beside Wade. I draped my sleeved arm over both of them. I felt like part of a real family then. Wade drowsily nuzzled into me, I smiled, and let myself fall asleep.

The next day I woke up to Dena giggling. I groaned and rolled over to look at her. Wade was tickling her. Holy shit. Seriously? Wade was _playing_ with her? Talk about tale of the body snatchers.

"Well, good morning, kitten." He smiled at me as I woke up. His mask wasn't on, so he leaned over and gave me a quick kiss.

"Good morning." I stumbled over my words. I was so tired.

"When did you get home?" Dena asked. "We waited for you."

"I have no idea." I laughed easily. "I was so tired I just took a shower and climbed into bed."

"Anything interesting happen after I left?"

"Yeah. We need to talk about it later." I cracked my neck, and rubbed at my shoulders. I was so sore from swinging the bat across Cynthia's head all night.

"Fair enough."

"Sis, I'm hungry." Dena yawned.

"Alright, let's go have some breakfast." I smiled at her calling me sis. It was just turning out to be a good morning.

"Logan said he was gonna make me pancakes."

"Well, let's go hold him to his promise and wake his ass up!" I laughed and watched as she ran down the hall to Logan's room.

"She's so cute I wanna puke." Wade laughed as he leaned back.

"I know." I smiled and got up to get dressed. Wade pulled me back down into his arms.

"Where do you think you're goin?" He kissed my neck softly.

"Wade, I have to get dressed." I giggled.

"Now, what's the sense in getting dressed when I'm only going to rip them off of you again?" He bit my neck lightly and I moaned.

"You are such a tease." I whined.

"Tease? Who says I'm teasing?" He smiled and kissed me, hard. I wrapped my arms around his neck and let myself melt into him.


	12. My Favorite Little Spy

Tony stared at me in amazement. I smiled uneasily. Dena hung lazily on to my arm, not really paying attention to our conversation.

"You killed her."

"Yep."

"Just like you killed the other assassin."

"Yep."

"And you don't feel bad."

"Nope."

"That's...incredible."

"How so?" I raised an eyebrow. "Soldiers kill without feeling every day."

"You're not a soldier, Anna. You're 17."

"Nope. I've been a fighter since I was little. I've always been a killer."

"I don't believe that."

"You don't have to, Tony." I shrugged.

"So she killed a few people, so what?" Dena snorted beside me. I couldn't help but laugh.

"What would you know about killing?" Tony raised an eyebrow at her.

"A lot more than you think." She sneered.

"Dena…" I said warningly.

"I'm not gonna let him talk down to me."

"She says as she clings to her older sister's skirt tails." Tony rolled his eyes. I hit him in the arm.

"Not cool, man."

"Hydra is trying to kill my sister. She has the right to fight back."

"What?" I stared wide-eyed at her. "Who told you that? I never told you that."

"I…um…" She looked around, worried, as if searching for someone.

"Dena, tell us how you know this." Tony looked as worried as I felt.

"I…I was told to spy on them."

"Come again?" Tony crossed his arms over his chest. Dena took a deep breath.

"Sabretooth told me to spy on this group of men. They talked about killing Annie. I didn't know who she was at the time. I just told everything I heard to Sabretooth."

"Why would he tell a kid to spy on a Hydra meeting?" Nick asked, walking up behind us. "And how did he know they were meeting?"

"It's my…mutation." She shifted uncomfortably.

"Clarify." Fury said softly.

"I'm a shape-shifter. I can look like anyone. He showed me a picture of some guy named Kristoff Heinz."

"The Aryan?" I asked, breathless.

"Aryan?" Tony raised an eyebrow at me, I waved him off.

"As to how he knew they were there; no friggin clue." Dena continued. "I just found out when they were gonna try to kill Annie."

"Did you learn anything else?" Tony asked.

"We really should give her over to a team to have her debriefed." Fury took his phone out of his pocket.

"I'm not leaving her alone with your goons, Fury. She's only 10." I instinctively grabbed her arm, pulling her closer to me.

"You can go with her, but we need to know what she heard." He nodded at me, sensing my stress.

"I can give you names, dates, times, and vehicle types. I didn't see license plates, though." Dena piped in. I stared at her in amazement. "I'm good at remembering things."

"That's good to know." Fury chuckled.

They quizzed Dena for hours; asking her questions about whom, how, what, and where. Finally, they let us go home. Dena went to the living room to watch a movie with Jean and Scott, and I ran up to my room, hoping to find Wade on my bed. Of course, he was there.

"What's wrong, kitten? You look like you've seen a ghost." He chuckled as he flipped through a magazine.

"I figured out why Sabretooth knew about the assassination attempt."

"Come again?'

"He was using Dena to spy on Hydra."

"Using small children to do his dirty work; seems legit." He frowned. "But why did he care that they wanted to kill you?'

"I have no fucking clue." I plopped down on the bed beside him. He hugged me and kissed my neck. "He's up to something, Wade, and I wanna know what it is."

"You're not the only one, kitten." He smiled at me. "Fury called."

"What? I just left the lab!" I groaned.

"He said there were some people he wanted you to meet."

"I don't like people."

"Liar. You're a people person, kitten." He chuckled and handed me a piece of paper. "He wants you back at the lab tonight." He looked at his watch. "In an hour, actually."

"Shit." I got back up and went for the door. "I'm gonna grab a sandwich from the kitchen and head back."

"I'm going with you."

"Why?"

"You're seriously going to ask me that after what happened last night?" He scowled at me.

"Are you waiting for me to apologize? You'll be waiting a while." I said sternly.

"You knew there was going to be an attack and you sent me away. You put knowlingly put yourself in danger."

"I handled it."

"What if the bitch had succeeded?" He was yelling now. I yelled right back.

"What if you trusted my abilities?"

"You asked me to keep you safe, Siobhan! How the hell can I do that if you won't let me?"

"You're right, is that what you wanna hear? I took a chance; it paid off. Yeah, there was a chance that it might not work, but I was willing to take it."

"I don't wanna lose you!"

"You're not gonna!" I took a deep breath and smiled. "If you think I'm that easy to kill, you haven't been paying attention."

"I spent the last hour being yelled at by Wolverine. He blames me for not taking care of you; what's worse, so do I." He growled, grabbing my wrist and pulling me into his chest. "I couldn't stand the thought that I was the one who left you to die."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and looked him in the eyes. "You didn't. I made you leave. I'm still alive. I'm not dead; you can tell cuz I'm still jabbering. Stop this silliness." I kissed his cheek and wriggled free of his grasp.

I was staring at the best cleavage I'd ever seen. Don't get me wrong, I'm as straight as a board; women were insane; but that chest could turn even Barbra Bush! I tried my best to look her in the face, but I was failing miserably.

"I know the feeling." A man laughed, catching where my eyes were.

"I don't know what you mean." I coughed, jerking my head up.

"Anna, meet Clint and Natasha, codenamed Hawkeye and Black Widow, respectively." Fury made formal introductions.

"Nice to meet cha." I smiled.

"Ditto." Hawkeye winked at me.

"You are very young." Natasha used even, measured tones, making her Russian accent sound even stronger.

"Yep. Point?" She had an air of arrogance that I did not appreciate.

"I know my point. You single?" Hawkeye waggled his eyebrows at me.

"Nope, she's taken." Wade snarled from behind me.

"Quite happily, actually." I laughed.

"Deadpool. What I wouldn't do to be able to put you behind bars." Natasha growled.

"For one, you'd have to go through me, and trust me, you don't wanna." I smiled wickedly and let my fingers dance around the hilt of the blades at my side. She scowled at me, I blew her a kiss.

"I like where this is going." Hawkeye laughed.

"I don't. Stand down, Black Widow." Fury growled. She scowled even harder, and folded her arms across her chest.

"Your face is gonna stick that way, if you're not careful." I smiled sweetly at her.

"Anna." Fury said warningly.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be good." I rolled my eyes.

"I like her." Hawkeye laughed, obviously enjoying Natasha's discomfort.

"Don't we all?" Fury rubbed at his temple, obviously annoyed.

"Any way," I edged cautiously, "you two are going to be on this team as well?"

"They are two of my best agents." Fury boasted.

"Awesome."

"We are highly trained in combat and special ops." Natasha slithered out in her Russian drawl.

"No dip, Sherlock. That's expected."

"What I mean by that is, we do not need the help of a teenager who does not know her place."

"At the moment, my place is shoving my boot so far up your ass, you'll taste leather." I growled. I did not need attitude right now.

"Natasha, back off." Fury yelled.

"I refuse to accept this little girl as an equal."

"Why don't you stop thinking about me as a little girl, and start thinking of me as the mutant who's gonna kick your ass."

"You can't even touch me."

"Wanna bet?"

"Let them fight it out, Fury. It could be interesting." Wade laughed.

"I agree." Hawkeye glowed in amusement.

"Fine, kill each other if it makes you feel better." Fury threw his hands up in the air and walked out of the room.

I ran right at her. I swung my fist at her face, she back-flipped out of the way, her foot hitting me in the jaw. I jerked forward, sticking out my right leg, flowing down into a split position, and spun, swiping her off her feet. She landed on the ground with a thud. I felt like Jackie Chan as I jumped back on my feet and grabbed her arm, twisting it behind her. She twisted around, grabbing my arm. We both squeezed, both yelled out in pain.

I released her and flipped away. I grabbed a beaker from the table and flung it at her head; she deflected it with her forearm. She ran over to the table and grabbed a knife; I unsheathed my blades and stopped the blade from sinking down into my neck. I kicked at her chest and grabbed her blouse, propelling myself behind her. I put my blade to her throat and pressed it deep enough to draw blood. She dropped the knife and froze; a scowl of hatred on her face. I took my second blade and drew a cut across her right cheek. She stiffened, but refused to cry out. I released her and kicked her against the wall.

"You didn't have to cut her, kitten." Wade smiled in spite of his words.

"Dude! Do it again!" Hawkeye laughed.

"Well, you can fight, after all." Natasha spat, leaning against the wall and wiping the blood from her new battle wound.

"Told ya." I re-sheathed my blades.

"Everyone done playing?" Tony asked as he walked into the room.

"Aw man, I was hoping for some more, hot chick-on-chick death match!"  
>Hawkeye laughed.<p>

"Can I kill him?" I asked, giving the annoying man a death glare.

"No, Anna. We need him…for now." Tony chuckled.

"Whatever. Did you look at those plans I gave you?" I asked, hopeful.

"Yes; they look like they could work." A smiled spread, quickly over his face.

"Something tells me that you're not just excited because our work is almost done." I smirked.

"No. I'm really excited to meet him." He took a seat at my desk and looked over my notes. "My father knew him, way back when.'

"Way back when? You're too young to use that phrase." I chuckled.

"You can say that again." Wade scoffed.

"How old are you, Deadpool?" Hawkeye asked.

"Didn't your mother teach you better than to ask a psychopath his age?"

"Wolverine fought with the Cap, too." I commented thoughtfully. "I wonder what he'll think about working with two of his old buddies' kids?"


	13. Why We Should Pay Attention To Details

I felt sick to my stomach. I'd already puked three times this morning. Scott wanted me to go home, but I didn't need to miss school. So, I sat in History, trying not to puke as we watched a slide show on the Baton Death March. You have no idea how hard it is to not toss your cookies when looking at those photos, even when in a great state of health.

I couldn't figure out why I was feeling so bad. I hadn't been exposed to any kind of sickness, I took great care to keep clean, and I watch what I ate. Maybe I got some food poisoning from the cafeteria food. It would make sense.

"Are you ok?" Scott whispered for the eighth time, looking worried.

"I'm fine, _mother._" I rolled my eyes and tried not to think about the pictures as I looked at them. In all honestly, I wasn't hearing a word of this lecture. I had more pressing issues in mind.

We had started trying to create the serum a few days ago. It seemed to be fairly easy to create. An experienced chemist like Dr. Carson should have been able to come up with this easily. Why wasn't this in his notes? It just didn't make sense.

"Annie!" Scott yelled.

"Huh?" I broke sleepily from my musings.

"The bell rang." He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Oh. I knew that." I laughed uneasily. I tried to get up, only to fall back down, Scott catching me before I hit the ground.

"Annie, I really wish you'd go home and go to bed." Scott was in full on mother hen mode, and this time, I figured he might be right. Maybe I did need to just take a nap.

"Ok, fine. I'll go home."

"Don't even think about driving." He smirked, seeing me cringe.

"Awwww."

"You're in no condition to drive. You'd fall asleep at the wheel and die, and then I'd get blamed. I'm not dealing with an angry Wolverine."

"Wow, glad to see you care so much, Scott." I rolled my eyes, trying not to be angry. I know he was just teasing, but I hadn't completely forgiven him for blowing up on me.

"Go to the bathroom and call Wolverine. Have him check you out and take you home. Go right to bed." He chuckled at me as he walked off towards his next class.

I sighed and walked to the bathroom. It was full of girls, checking their makeup and hair, getting ready for the next class in the five minutes that we were allotted. I looked in the mirror. Wow, I looked really pale. Scott was right, I was sick. I pulled out my phone and started to dial Logan's number. I started, dazed, at the key pad. All of the numbers were dancing around. I tried pressing the five, but when my finger got close to it, it jumped to the other side of the phone. I could feel myself swaying , my air was moving my hair in front of my face. I knew I was about to fall, but it didn't seem possible. My eyelids were suddenly so heavy. I had to close them, just for a second. Then I'll call Dad and go home….

I woke up in my own bed, hooked up to an IV and heart monitor. There was a package at my feet. I sat up, groggily, and reached for it. I opened it, a note fell out.

_I found these in storage files. You should have gotten these first. They explain everything. I am so sorry._

_ ~Fury_

Now, that worried me. I dumped out the contents of the package. Sheets of paper. A loose-leaf notebook. I read over them quickly, not really paying attention. It was Dr. Carson's handwriting. I guess they had to be a few of his notes that had not been delivered to me. I went back and reread them, more slowly, to see what all I had missed.

"Well, look who's awake. You gave us quite the scare." The Professor smiled as he wheeled into the room. "None of us could figure out what happened to you."

"I think I know." I said, trying not to choke on my words. I handed him the papers in my hands, tears welling up in my eyes. He read it slowly, finally looking at me.

"What does this mean, Annie?"

"I've been wondering why the serum was so easy, but Carson hadn't figured it out. He had. It says so on the paper. The reason he didn't use the formula –" I almost threw up. I gasped air into my lung s to finish my sentence, " the serum produces large amounts of gamma radiation." The tears were streaming down my face now. There was no way to hold them back. I knew why I was sick.

I have hunted down rogue mutants. I have apprehended criminals. I have battled Magneto, himself. I have been held captive and tortured by Hydra Nazis. I beat a woman to death for being a spy. I was never afraid.

I was afraid, now. So, very terrified. I had cancer.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHH

"I need a list of everyone who had access to the serum." Fury said calmly. I wanted to punch him in the face. Right now, I wouldn't mind a little sympathy, even if it were fake. I was hooked up to every machine imaginable in the medical wing of the manor. The professor was looking over some random bits of paper that the machine spit out every half hour.

"I was the only one. I did it alone one night, after everyone went home." I replied, trying not to sound as angry as I felt. Anger, that was good. I'd rather be angry than sad, or worse, scared.

"Alone?"

"I often work later than everyone else, if you haven't noticed." I rolled my eyes. He was supposed to be overseeing this little operation. He should know this stuff.

"Right. Well, of course, SHIELD will pay all of your medical expenses, and you are ordered to rest up until you're well."

"Wait, what?"

"did you think you'd get to work sick?"

"Fury, there is no getting well." I growled, gripping the sides of the bed. "There is no fixing this. I am going to die.

"You're overreacting."

"Of course I am. I might not die. I might grow six sizes, turn green, and go on a rampage!" I yelled, my face getting hot. I was so pissed, I didn't know what to do. I wanted Fury out of my face.

"Banner has been able to control it…maybe…"

"Deal with it, Fury. I'm a dead girl walking." I thought for a moment and laughed grimly. "Dead at 17. Gotta love it."

"Annie…"The professor said my name softly, warning me to back off.

"No, Professor. Not this time." I looked Fury hard in the face. "I will return to the lab tonight. I will finish my research. I will wake up the Captain. I will see him assemble the Avengers. I will NOT allow myself to die before I've finished. Now, get out."

He didn't say a word. He just left. God, bless him for that. The professor changed my saline solution bag.

"That was harsh." He said calmly.

"It seems like I don't have time to beat around the bush anymore, Professor." I felt the tears fall down my cheeks. I did it. I kept my tears away from Fury. I looked at the door to see an even harder challenge. Wade was staring at me, fists clenched by his sides.

He stared at me. I stared at him. The Professor left.


	14. The Symbol's Betrayal

Wade sat in a chair beside my bed, watching me get dressed. He was pouting, and not in the cute, playful way he usually did. He was upset, but so was everyone. I didn't have the patience to coddle him now. I was trying to focus on pulling on my jeans and running a brush through my hair. I stared at the brush, horrified; my hair was beginning to fall out.

The Prof had started me on chemo last week. I sighed in defeat, and put the brush down. I pulled what hair I did have left into a ponytail, and threw on the do-rag I wore when I went riding with Logan. It was black with red flames, and it didn't look too god-awful. I looked to Wade, he grimaced.

"It's the best I can do for now." I sighed, grabbing my bag.

"You are in no shape to go out."

"Try and stop me, and you'll see how good I feel." I smiled at him and opened my door to find Dena standing there with a blank expression. "Dena? What's wrong, dearie?"

"The Professor told me what's going on." She whispered, shifting her weight, making her black combat boots squeak.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to upset you." I sighed, bringing her into a hug. She jerked back, as if being touched would burn her.

"I know why Hydra wants Rebirth." She said calmly.

"What?" My eyes widened. "Why didn't you-"

"Tell Fury? Cuz he pissed me off." She snarled. I raised my eyebrows. Well, there was a different side of my little Dena.

"Why do they want it?" Wade asked from his chair.

"They don't actually want it. They're too afraid of having another mishap. They just want to make sure Rogers is dead. They don't want you to bring hi back, and they know you have him and are working on the cure." Dena jumped on the bed, smoothing down her lacy black skirt. She was so small and elegant, like she was raised by aristocrats…sadistic aristocrats. "They had two agents in your team, sis. One, you've already killed."

"Who's the second?"

"I'm not sure. I didn't get a name. All I know is, it's one of those people."

"I see." I nodded and slung my bag over my sholder. "Ok, wade, we're going to the lab. Dena, you stay here, and behave yourself.'

"Scott's giving me some kind of exam today. He wants to see what I know."

"Grade placement. You'll start school next fall, they need to know where to put you." I explained.

"He also said something about a simulation."

"Ahh." I rolled my eyes. "I bet he wants to make you run through the bases, see how skilled you are at fighting."

"Really?" She smiled, it scared me. Dena was defiantly a creepy kid.

"I like this kid," Wade pulled his mask back on.

"Why do you wear that mask, Wade?" Dena asked.

"So I don't scare creepy little kids like you." He laughed.

"That's retarded." She shook her head. "If a person isn't willing to accept you the way you actually are, why would you try and placate them? It's like a giant façade."

"You're too young to understand the world, kid.'

"I understand a lot more than you're giving me credit for." She hopped down from the bed, and left, heading towards her room.

"God save us from the honesty of children." Wade sighed.

"She's no child." I said. "There's something she's not telling us."

"You don't trust her?"

"I trust her, I just feel sorry for her. What could have possibly happened to her to make her so…cynical?"

"She'll tell us when she's ready."

"I hope so. I fell so very protective over her. I just want to make her feel loved again."

"Such a mother hen."

"I don't mind being a mother hen." I laughed and made my way downstairs.

"Are you sure everything's ready?" Tony asked, for the millionth time.

"Yes. You''ve got the machine perfect, and the serum has been ready for some time now." I turned my head to blow my nose. I had a never ending cold, these days. It'd only been two weeks since I was diagnosed, but it seemed like forever.

Today was the day. We were going to wake up Captain America. His body was hooker up to the machine. The serum was placed; ready to fill into his veins. Secruity was as tight as any one could make it. I, and everyone else who needed to be here, was wearing full body armor. Did you know that it's very uncomfortable? Well, it is.

"Give us the word, and we'll fall out," Fury said, coming to stand beside me.

"Fall out?"

"For security reasons. The only people left in here will be you and your team."

"Just me and my team. Fury, I told you-"

"Yes, I know. One of them is going to try and kill you."

"At least leave me a couple armed guards. I'm in no condition to fight for my life!" I whispered harshly.

"Don't worry, I've got this under control."

"None of this has been under control, Fury. It's been one major fuck up after another. I refuse to die with a bullet in my head because it eases your pride."

"Trust me, Annie."

"Look at me! Why the hell should I trust you? I trusted you and it's gotten me almost killed several times. Even now, I'm dying slowly, because you let something slip out of your grasp. Do not make promises to me that you cannot keep."

"I'm not letting her out of my sight." Deadpool said, coming up behind me."

"You don't have clearance."

"I don't give a shit. I'm staying with her. I will not let you get her killed, just so you can find your mole, you greasy sonuvabitch." Wade growled, putting his arm around my shoulder and pulling me in close to him."

"I swear if you screw this up-"

"Get out Fury." I said. "We're ready to start."

He frowned, but left, taking everyone with him.

I looked around the room. The only people left were me, Wade, Killebrew, Patrick, and Carla. One of the latter three were going to try and kill me. Oh, happy day.

"Ready to get started, everyone?" I rubbed my hands together, and plastered on a happy face.

"Let's get this over with." Carla laughed. "There's a Golden Girls marathon on TV tonight that I don't wanna miss!"

"This should only take about a minute, and then we hand Rogers over to the medical staff. Our part is about done." Patrick smiled and handed me a large remote control with two buttons. "it's all yours, boss."

"Thanks, Patty." I chuckled, and took the remote from him.

I looked to Rogers' body. He would be up and about in a matter of days, all because of us. I can't believe everything we had given up to make this happen; time, money, resources, even a couple lives. Was it worth it? You bet your sweet as it was! I pressed the first button, and the machine whirred to life. It was loud.

I looked over to Wade, who was now standing beside Killebrew with a sinister smile through his red mask. He made me feel safe, believe it or not. I had a thing for psychopaths, it would seem. Wade was the man I loved. Dena was the little girl I had to protect and care for. Logan was my ever-diligent father. Who was the bigger psycho; one of them or me?

I pressed the second button, and watched the green liquid slowly flow out of the vial and into Rogers' body. I looked to the monitors. His body functions were steadily rising, immediately upon impact or the serum. He breathing was faster. I could feel my face light up. I ran to Rogers' side, and looked at his face. It was slowly gaining a rosy glow, showing that there was clean, fresh blood all around. It was working!

I felt the barrel of a gun against my head. I sighed.

"Looks like you've done it, Ms. Howlett."

"So it does, Patrick." I turned slowly. He was smiling at me. Wade was behind him, a gun at his back. "Looks like we're all gonna die, huh?"

"Nope." Carla laughed, from Rogers' side. She held a gun to his head.

"Both of you?" I frowned. "So, did anyone on this team actually want to do this?"

"Only the asshole you fired that first day." Patrick laughed.

"Great." I rolled my eyes, and looked to Wade. "I'm such a good judge of character."

"Don't get any ideas, Annie. Don't try to be a hero." Patrick warned.

"I'm no hero, Pat. That's what Rogers is for." I laughed. "If I'm the hero, we're all screwed nine ways to Sunday.

"That's right. You're nothing more than a murderer." He pressed the gun harder into my head.

"You killed Cynthia." Carla growled.

"I've killed a lot of people in my lifetime. Why should I feel sorry about one blonde bimbo?" I chuckled dryly. He swung his gun, hitting me with the butt. Wade shot him in the leg, as I fell to the ground.

I grabbed Pat's gun, and swung up to point at Carla. Wade kept his aim on Pat.

"I'll shoot him, Annie. Just watch me."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, tired and confused.

"For the good of Hydra!" The both yelled in unison.

"Ugh, Nazi drones." Wade groaned.

"We are so far beyond the simplicity of the Nazi party. We are not political. We are all-powerful!" Pat roared.

"And yet, this little man threatens everything, yes? All-powerful, and completely defenseless." I sneered. A trail of blood trickled down my cheek. My head was bleeding, grand.

"He is as good as dead."

"Then do it."

"What?" She looked confused.

"If you're here to kill him, do it." I spat. "Don't be a pussy, do you job. Kill him. Then, I kill you, and Wade kills Pat."

"You will kill me either way." She yelled.

"You think so?" I asked. "You've worked with me for a while now; I'm a giant softie."

"You would let us go?" She looked tired. I could see it in her eyes, her face, her body.

"Put down the gun, leave Rogers alone."

"She is lying, Carla! She will kill us either way!" Pat screamed.

"Shaddup." Wade kicked him in the stomach.

"Listen to me, Carla. Don't do this."

"But Rogers will destroy Hydra!"

"What do you care about Hydra? It doesn't seem your style."

"My husband-"

"Your husband is in Hydra. Right. Since when does Carla do something just because someone else is doing it?"

"You don't know anything about me."

"Untrue. I know a lot about you. You've been very personal these past few months. We've been a team, a family. I know you, Carla, and you know me."

"I-"

"Carla." I stared her in the face, not looking away. She shifted her weight, unsure of herself.

"You'll let us leave?"

"Yes."

She looked to Pat; boy, if looks could kill. Patty was not a happy boy. "Fine." She put down her gun. "I don't give a shit about Hydra."

"Good girl." I watched her walk towards me. She had an awkward smile on her face; it was an awkward situation. She handed me her gun. "Shoot him, Wade."

"What? No!" Karla gasped.

"Yes, ma'am." Wade shot Pat in the face.

"You said we could leave!" Carla screamed in terror.

I gave her a blank stare. "I lied." I lifted my gun and shot her in the head. She didn't even have time to scream. I looked at Wade; he just nodded. We didn't speak.

An alarm went off. My head snapped around to the monitors hooked up to Rogers. His pulse was slowing!

"No!" I screamed, as I ran up to him. I pulled on a stethoscope, and searched for a heartbeat. There it was; faint and slow. "I refuse to lose you!" I ran down to the medical cabinet near the door and pulled out an adrenaline needle.

I ran back up to him and braced myself.

"Annie, what's going on?" Wade yelled, worried.

"His heart is slowing. I have to speed it back up." I uncapped the needle and grasped it with both hands. "Straight into the heart." I whispered, then lifted the needle above my head, and drove it into his chest. I pushed in the plunger and jerked out the needle. I listed with the stethoscope again. No change.

I balled my hands together into fists and pushed on his chest. One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

I listened again. The pulse was stronger now. I pushed again.

One. Two. Three. Four Five.

I could audibly hear it now!

One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

The alarm on the monitors went off. His pulse was steady; he was stable, again.

I fell to the floor, gasping in fear, trying to get a grip on myself. Wade pulled me back up to my feet.

"Are you ok, kitten?" He asked, searching my face.

"Yes, I'm just a little tired." I turned my head to the side and tried not to cough up a lung. "Open the doors. Get medical staff in here."

"For you?"

"No, stupid." I laughed hard and long. "For him." I jerked my head towards Rogers.

"Right. I knew that."


	15. Mission Accomplished?

Dena was sitting on my bed, reading a book. You'd never guess that little girl was such a book work; though, I was the only one she ever read around. I could only feel her guard go down when it was either me or Logan in the room. If there was anyone else, she was like a fortress. Dena was not a trusting person. It didn't seem healthy for a girl her age. Then again, tell me something that had happened to her that was healthy for a girl her age. She wasn't going to have a normal childhood in any manner.

"How's school going?" I asked.

"I hate it." She answered, monotonously.

The Professor had enrolled her into school a week ago. He was…impressed with her placement test scores. Eleven years old, this girl was reading on a Junior level, writing at college level, and could speak three languages. She was slow at Math, however, but not too bad. Algebra confused her, and she was slow to answer basic division questions. Well, we all have our strong suits and our failures. She was the speaking type. She had the gift of gab, as Logan would say.

"Still not getting along with people?"

"Sis, I'm 11. Everyone else is, like, 16." She rolled her eyes.

"Well, at least you're in the same class as Kitty." I smiled.

"I scare her."

"You do not."

"Ask her." She frowned. "I scare everyone.

"Well, you do have a…foreboding demeanor."

"I like it that way."

"Well, if you want people to like you-"

"I don't, though."

"Why's that?" I asked, confused.

"If people don't like me, I won't like them. If I don't like them, I won't trust them. If I don't trust them, they can't hurt me." She said simply, shrugging, as if it were obvious.

"Not everyone is going to hurt you."

"'I know that, but why give them the chance?"

"Well, you trust me, don't you?"

"I don't think you'll hurt me." She sounded a little taken aback.

"I'd die first." I replied. She smiled. "What book ya got there?"

"The Scarlet Letter." She smiled broadly. "One of my favorites."

"That's an odd favorite for a kid to have."

"I'm odd in many ways."

"Very true." I chuckled. "But so are all of us."

"Scott says he's worried about me."

"It's imbedded in Scott's DNA to worry about everyone. He's a manly mother hen."

"When will he admit that he's in love with Jean?"

"One day, dollface. One day." I smiled and handed her a bag from Hot Topic. Her face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"What is it?"

"Open it and see, silly girl." I laughed and she tore into the bag. She squealed as she pulled the Emily Strange backpack out of the bag.

"Oh my God, I love it!" She squealed as she hugged me. I laughed.

"I'm glad. Now, go and get in bed. You've got school in the morning, and I've got some homework to do."

"Liar. You haven't been to school in weeks." She frowned. "Don't treat me like I don't know what's going on."

"Maybe I like to pretend it's not happening for my own sake, Dena."

"No, you're not like that." She replied, putting her hands on her hips. "You're strong and stubborn. You probably remind yourself about this on a daily basis in an effort to be strong."

I had to laugh. She had me figured out. 'Ok, fine. I won't coddle you, then."

"Good." She smiled and kissed my cheek. "Good night , sis."

"Good night, Dena." I smiled as she walked down the hall to her room. God, that kid was such a mind trip. Sugary sweet and yet ice cold. She was smart, I'll give her that.

"Problem, kitten?" Wade was suddenly behind me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders.

"Problem? Never." I smiled up at him and kissed him softly. I closed my eyes, suddenly very dizzy.

"I got us some tacos." He slammed a paper bag down on my desk, making me laugh. I groaned. Shouldn't have done that. "Not feeling well, again?" He looked worried, I just smiled.

"I'm fine, Wade. I promise."

"You better be." He kissed my neck softly and pulled me onto the bed with him. I giggled.

"I have reports to finish, Wade."

"You work too much. You need to chill for a little bit." He pulled me in close to him and held me still. "I'll only let you go to eat tacos, but not right now."

"You're so clingy." I giggled.

"You like it when I'm clingy."

"Shush! You know nothing!" I snuggled into him and breathed deeply.

"I know enough," He kissed my head. "I know I love you."

"And you know I love you." I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Don't make me bite that, little girl."

"You keep making yourself sounds like such a pedo."

"I do, don't I?" He chuckled darkly.

"Killbrew ran away." I said. I had wanted to wait until he was in a good mood to tell him. He stiffened, but didn't say anything. "He ran out of the containment area while the shooting incident happened."

"I wondered why it was so quiet." He said evenly.

"Are you going to go after him?" I asked.

"Eventually. Right now I have something more important to attend to."

"What?" I widened my eyes in surprise.

"Your ever need and desire." He nibbled at my ear and I giggled.

"Rogers is recovering fast."

"Good for him." He mumbled; too busy running his hands up my legs to bother with what I was saying.

"I should get to meet him next week."

"Right now, I should be the only man on your mind."

"Well, can I still think of Angelina Jolie?"

"Only if you wanna role-play, kitten."

"Wade…."

"Yes, kitten?"

"I can't feel my legs."

"Come again?" He froze.

"I can't breathe…" My chest felt so heavy. My sight was getting blurry "Wade…." I gasped, trying to shake away the bulr, but I couldn't get my head to function.

"Professor!" I heard Wade's scream like a whisper in my ear. I was so tired. I had to close my eyes. They were so heavy….


	16. A Note From Wade Wilson

Today is June 17. I hope I don't short out the computer with my tears; I hope I can finish this story. Annie has been in the hospital for two weeks now. She's been looking horrible. She lost weight, her sight was going, and she was hardly responsive. She died today. The woman I love died today.

I am sitting here, on her bed, wishing my kitten was curled up in my lap again. I feel so empty, no longer comforted by her warmth. I am in Hell.

Logan's still at the hospital. He refuses to let go of the hand of his daughter. I've never seen him cry. According to Jean, he was still crying, hours after I left.

Dena is in shambles. Annie means so much to her. The little tyke is lying beside me, holding Annie's pillow to her face to smell her scent. She's even wearing Annie's favorite shorts, though they swallow her whole. She's devastated that her sister left her, just as she found her.

Scott and the others are just finding out about everything that has been happening since March. Scott feels like an ass. Good. He should. He, more than anyone else, made her last few months Hell.

Jean is trying to be the strong one, but we know she can't. Her telepathy must be driving her insane, the same goes for Professor X. I really don't know how they are still sane. There is so much sadness and despair in this house.

I have to tell Al and Weasel tomorrow. That's going to be even harder. She was so close to Weasel, and Al loved her like a granddaughter. I don't know how much more of this I can take. I miss her so fucking much.

I hear someone downstairs; Tony just arrived. His face is soaked with tears, as is Captain America's, who stands behind him. Does Rogers know that she died for him? Did he know that he was the only reason that this 17-year-old had to die? Does he know that she gave her life gladly to bring him back? He better save the world or he disgraces her. Annie thought he was worthy; worthy of her life. I am going to make it a point to not give him much trouble. I'll let him do his good-guy hero act, and not get in the way. Annie would want that.

He never even got to meet the woman who saved him.

Everything I type is in present tense. I refuse to write in past tense. That would be like admitting to myself that she's gone. I can't do that; not yet. I have to hold on to that one little spec of hope that there's been some mistake, and she'll walk through the door and yell "Gotcha!"

I look over to her desk. My dead lilies are still sitting in a vase on her desk. I am breaking down. I can't handle this.

This is the end of Annie's story. She's done. She's really gone. I miss her. I love her. She is truly an American; she is a martyr for this country. The worst thing is; no one will ever know what she did. That makes me want to shoot myself in the head.


End file.
